The War Council
1257 Words
The war room doors closed.
Slow.
Heavy.
The sound lingered.
Not like wood meeting stone.
Like something sealing.
No one spoke at first.
They had all seen it.
The sky tearing again.
The creatures falling through.
The people taken—
Not just one.
Not just the princess.
Many.
Too many.
This was no longer an attack.
It was something worse.
Something deliberate.
Something that understood them.
King Alexander stood at the head of the table.
His hands rested on the stone surface.
Still.
Too still.
His eyes moved across the room.
Counting them.
Measuring them.
Not as soldiers.
As answers.
“…say it clearly,” he said.
No anger.
No raised voice.
That made it worse.
Silence stretched.
Then—
Theodore stepped forward.
His armor still marked from the earlier battle.
“…we cannot call them enemies in the way we understand.”
Alexander’s eyes lifted.
“…then what are they?”
Theodore didn’t hesitate.
“…they are not here to conquer.”
A pause.
“…they are here to take.”
The words settled into the room.
No one argued.
Because everyone had seen it.
The beams.
The disappearances.
People taken without resistance.
Without explanation.
General Varus stepped forward.
A large man.
Scars across his face.
A voice built for war.
“…then we hunt them.”
Alexander looked at him.
“…how?”
Varus didn’t hesitate.
“…we strike where they appear.”
He pointed upward.
“…we watch the sky.”
“…the moment it opens—we hit them with everything.”
He leaned forward slightly.
“…we don’t wait for them to take.”
“…we force them to fight.”
Lady Seraphine shook her head slowly.
Calm.
Sharp.
Controlled.
“…that won’t work.”
Varus turned toward her.
“…why not?”
She stepped forward.
“…because they don’t stay.”
A pause.
“They appear.”
“They take.”
“They vanish.”
Her eyes moved across the room.
“…you can’t fight something that refuses to remain.”
Varus clenched his jaw.
“…then we make them remain.”
Seraphine didn’t react.
“…how?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
Because he didn’t know.
Scholar Malrick cleared his throat nervously.
“…then we must understand them.”
Jason leaned against the wall.
“…here we go…”
Malrick ignored him.
“…what we saw was not magic.”
He stepped forward slightly.
“…it was structured.”
“…organized.”
“…repeatable.”
He looked around the room.
“…that means it can be studied.”
“…and if it can be studied—”
“…it can be replicated.”
Silence.
Jason blinked.
“…we just tried that.”
Malrick shook his head quickly.
“…no—we forced it.”
“…we didn’t understand it.”
“…we mimicked it blindly.”
He swallowed.
“…I’m suggesting we study it properly.”
Perseus spoke quietly.
“…that takes time.”
Malrick nodded.
“…yes.”
Alexander’s voice cut through.
“…we don’t have time.”
The words ended that line of thought.
But not the tension.
Commander Rhyen stepped forward.
Sharp eyes.
No hesitation.
“…then we bait them.”
The room turned instantly.
“…what do you mean?” Homer asked.
Rhyen crossed his arms.
“…they came for specific people.”
He looked directly at Alexander.
“…your daughter.”
Silence dropped.
Heavy.
“…so we give them another target.”
The room went cold.
Jason pushed off the wall.
“…you’re suggesting we offer someone?”
Rhyen didn’t flinch.
“…I’m suggesting we control what they take.”
“…we choose the location.”
“…we choose the moment.”
“…and when they come—”
“…we’re ready.”
Sophia’s voice cut through.
Cold.
Sharp.
“…no.”
Every head turned.
She stepped forward.
“…we will not offer our people to them.”
Rhyen held her gaze.
“…they’re already taking them.”
Silence.
That truth landed harder than any argument.
Sophia didn’t back down.
“…then we stop them.”
“…we do not become like them.”
Rhyen didn’t respond.
But he didn’t look convinced.
High Priest Kaelor stepped forward slowly.
Older.
Calm.
“…this is not just war.”
His voice carried weight.
“…this is something older.”
Varus exhaled sharply.
“…not this again…”
Kaelor ignored him.
“…the sky opening…”
“…the taking…”
“…the connection…”
He looked toward Sophia.
“…this is not random.”
Jason muttered—
“…nothing about this is random…”
Kaelor continued.
“…there are forces beyond this world.”
“…older than kingdoms.”
“…older than us.”
The room didn’t like where this was going.
“…we may not be alone in this conflict.”
Theodore frowned.
“…you’re suggesting what?”
Kaelor’s voice lowered.
“…that something else may oppose them.”
Silence.
“…and we find it.”
Jason rubbed his face.
“…so now we’re looking for invisible allies?”
Homer sighed.
“…this is getting worse…”
Engineer Luthan stepped forward quickly.
Hands stained with ink.
Clothes marked with metal dust.
“…or we build something.”
Everyone turned.
Jason nodded.
“…finally.”
Luthan spoke faster now.
“…their beams… their transport…”
“…it’s energy-based.”
He pointed upward.
“…they lock onto a target…”
“…then pull them through.”
He looked around.
“…if we interrupt that process—”
“…we stop the capture.”
Perseus stepped closer.
“…how?”
Luthan hesitated.
“…we create interference.”
“…something strong enough to break the connection.”
“…or redirect it.”
Jason raised a brow.
“…redirect it where?”
Luthan didn’t answer.
Because he hadn’t thought that far.
Silence fell again.
Different this time.
Heavier.
More real.
Because now—
They understood something.
They were not in control.
Alexander finally spoke.
“…enough.”
The room stilled instantly.
He straightened.
Slow.
Controlled.
His eyes moved across each of them.
“…we cannot call them enemies.”
A pause.
“…because we don’t understand them.”
He turned slightly.
“…but we know this.”
His voice hardened.
“…they take our people.”
Silence.
“…they took my daughter.”
No one spoke.
Because no one could.
Because this was no longer strategy.
This was personal.
Alexander stepped forward.
“…so we stop reacting.”
He looked at Theodore.
“…we track where they appear.”
“…every pattern.”
“…every movement.”
He looked at Luthan.
“…you build something.”
“…anything that can disrupt them.”
“…I don’t care how long it takes—start now.”
He turned to Malrick.
“…you study everything.”
“…every detail.”
“…every mistake we made tonight.”
Malrick nodded quickly.
“…yes, Your Majesty.”
Alexander looked at Rhyen.
A pause.
“…we do not use our people as bait.”
Rhyen held his gaze.
Then nodded once.
“…understood.”
Alexander turned to Sophia.
The room softened slightly.
“…and we find her.”
Sophia’s voice was quiet.
But certain.
“…we will.”
FINAL MOMENT
No one moved.
Not yet.
Because something had shifted.
This was no longer confusion.
No longer fear.
No longer reaction.
This was direction.
Outside—
The sky remained open.
The scar glowing faintly.
Waiting.
Watching.
And for the first time—
Avaris was no longer standing still.
It was preparing.
Not just to survive.
But to fight back.
- Writer
