I looked at the projections again. It was strange how something that had meant nothing just a few hours ago now seemed to be the key to everything.
The ley lines, mana, and the magic that gave us the power to fight.
All of it had come from another world along with the Supreme Beings.
I didn't know how long I had been lost in thought without saying anything.
"All these revelations are overwhelming," I said aloud. "We've always known about their existence, and we're only now beginning to process all of this."
I paused.
The image of the historian during the broadcast, the looks on people's faces in the streets, the chaos that was surely spreading across every corner of the planet...
"Most of the world has no idea what any of this is. A vast and terrifying reality was revealed to them, and they didn't have time to process it."
Eleonor looked at me. I could tell she understood.
Sophie let out a sigh and added,
"And they found out in the worst possible way."
I looked at the projections again. My thoughts were no longer on the laboratory, Vael, or the ley lines. They were on the streets. In people's homes. On the faces of millions of people who were suddenly realizing that the world wasn't what they had been told it was.
And I couldn't help wondering how they were coping with it.
But my thoughts were interrupted when one of the communications officers informed us that all the leaders were connected and waiting for us.
We all responded almost at the same time. That made it clear that I wasn't the only one worried about everything that was happening.
Meanwhile, in the communications room, the main heads of the Families had already been meeting for almost an hour. They were discussing the discovery of the laboratory and our confrontation with Iara and her group.
When we entered the room, we saw the images of those who were present: Chief Ciara, Étienne, Isabela, and Haruki. He had left us after hearing Kenji's latest report and had joined them.
Chief Ciara was the first to speak.
"I'm glad to see that all of you are well. I've already heard about everything you had to go through during your mission in China, but we don't have much time. That's why we asked you to meet with us so soon. Before you begin giving your report, my daughter Maeve and young Kenji will also be joining this meeting."
A moment later, two images materialized. Kenji formally greeted all the leaders before turning toward us.
"Good to see you again."
Aunt Maeve greeted everyone and asked whether we had gotten enough rest. Eleonor told her that we had and that she didn't need to worry. Maeve looked at her. Eleonor's shoulder was covered by a medical wrap that infused healing magic into the injury. The wound the Claimoor had inflicted on her shoulder had not completely healed because it had affected her magical circuits, making her recovery more difficult.
Ciara looked at her and told her that she had to remain at rest for at least a week; it was an order. Then she told me that, since Eleonor was my guardian, I had to stay with her and make sure she followed that order. In other words, I had been ordered not to leave the mansion for a while.
After all that, I asked for permission to speak.
"I believe all of you already know what we found: the laboratory and all its records, this relic, and Iara's attack. As described in the report, if those records are real, our ancestors were created through experiments, and the Kartnod were the first results. I want to ask you something, Chief Étienne. Did you know about any of this?"
Étienne looked at me again. His expression was very serious.
"Not entirely, but there are records that hinted at some of it."
He remained silent for a moment.
"Please activate the security and encryption measures. What I'm about to reveal must remain only among those present."
I knew it. I thought to myself. They knew something.
Suddenly, a magical barrier covered all the walls. The holograms disappeared for a moment, and when they materialized again, Maeve and Kenji were no longer there.
Ciara explained that the communications system used the ley lines and could only establish a connection from certain points within the Family mansions. It was impossible to access it from anywhere else. She also explained that Kenji had already been informed and that Maeve already knew about this beforehand.
"You can tell us what this secret is now," Ciara said to Étienne.
He continued.
"There is a record with no date, and we don't know who left it. All we know is that it dates back more than ten thousand years. It describes a battle, an escape, and their arrival at a place that was not their original destination."
He continued.
"The document isn't official. It seems more like a personal journal. The entries are short, more like notes, but they explain that those pursuing them managed to interfere with the portal, preventing them from closing it completely. That would eventually bring their pursuers to this plane, which meant that its original inhabitants were doomed."
Étienne paused before continuing.
"When I saw that record, I asked my grandfather about it. He was the head of the Family at the time, and the answer I received was what I told you before. As you can understand, it's almost the same thing you discovered, except your discovery goes much further."
Chief Ciara interrupted him.
"I always believed that the Supreme Beings weren't originally from this world and that they could travel back and forth to their original world. In fact, that was one of the things we shared with the world leaders during the meeting in London."
Étienne continued.
"That's only half the truth. The place the Supreme Beings traveled to is a parallel dimension to ours, and in fact, that's where the Nexus of the End is kept."
The other leaders were left speechless when they heard that name.
"What are you saying?" Isabela asked, her voice filled with concern.
None of the rest of us understood what was happening. Even Haruki seemed confused by the leaders' reaction.
Chief Ciara took a deep breath, clasped her hands together, rested them on the desk, and continued.
"What you're about to hear is something only the heads of the Families have ever known. No one who wasn't a Family head has known about it throughout our entire history. And Haruki, because of the way your father died, he never had the opportunity to tell you. So what we're about to tell you cannot be shared with anyone. Is that clear? This isn't a request. It's an order."
Never in my life had I seen Chief Ciara with an expression like that. It made it clear that what they were about to reveal to us was extremely important.
Étienne continued.
"What you just heard is true: the Nexus of the End is a device capable of altering reality. There are no records of it ever being used, but we do know that it was what triggered the war against the Kartnod. They wanted to use it against the Supreme Beings."