The corridor was quiet.

  Too quiet.

  Yildes stood near the tall window at the end of the hall, looking over the capital. From this height the city looked perfect—clean streets, shining towers, lights stretching to the horizon. The kind of place the World Government loved to show the world.

  But Yildes wasn't looking at the city.

  He was looking at the sky.

  The crack was still there.

  A thin line at first glance, but the longer you stared at it, the more wrong it felt. Like the sky itself had been split open.

  Xilo leaned against the wall behind him, arms crossed. His fingers tapped lazily against the stone, faint sparks of lightning flickering between them.

  "So this is the great World Government headquarters," he said. "I expected something less... dramatic."

  Yildes didn't turn around.

  "They like symbols," he said calmly.

  Xilo looked up at the massive banners hanging from the ceiling—huge golden crests representing unity, order, and authority.

  "Yeah," Xilo muttered. "Looks more like propaganda."

  They started walking again through the long corridor. Their footsteps echoed across the polished floor.

  Guards stood at every corner, watching them carefully.

  Not with respect.

  With caution.

  Xilo noticed and smirked.

  "Still scared of us after all these years."

  "They should be," Yildes replied.

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  They reached the large council chamber doors. Two guards pushed them open.

  Inside, a dozen council members were already arguing.

  Charts, reports, and projections floated in the air through magic displays. Voices overlapped as officials debated.

  "The fracture has grown three percent in the last twenty-four hours!"

  "Evacuating the northern territories will cause panic!"

  "We must stabilize the mana flow before it spreads!"

  Not one of them noticed Yildes and Xilo enter.

  Xilo leaned slightly toward Yildes.

  "They've been arguing like this for hours, haven't they?"

  "Most likely."

  Finally, one of the council members noticed them.

  "Ah… Xilo. Yildes. Good. You're here."

  The room quieted.

  An elderly councilor stepped forward.

  "The situation is… delicate."

  Xilo raised an eyebrow.

  "That's one way to describe the sky breaking."

  A few council members looked annoyed.

  "The fracture must be contained," another official said. "If people begin to panic, we risk losing control."

  Yildes finally spoke.

  "And what about the towns near the fracture?"

  The councilor hesitated.

  "They are… acceptable losses if containment fails."

  The room fell silent.

  Xilo let out a small laugh.

  "Wow."

  Everyone turned to him.

  He pushed himself off the wall, electricity briefly crackling around his hand.

  "You really said that out loud."

  One of the council members frowned.

  "You forget your place."

  Xilo smiled.

  "No," he said calmly. "You forget yours."

  For a moment, the room felt heavy.

  Even the guards shifted uncomfortably.

  Yildes stepped forward before the tension exploded.

  "Enough."

  His voice wasn't loud.

  But it carried across the entire chamber.

  "The fracture is not natural," he said. "Something caused it."

  The council members exchanged looks.

  "We are aware of that possibility," one of them said carefully.

  Yildes' eyes narrowed slightly.

  "Possibility?"

  He turned toward the window.

  "The mana around it is wrong. Distorted. Something crossed that space."

  Now the room was completely silent.

  One council member spoke.

  "You believe something came through?"

  Xilo answered before Yildes could.

  "Believe?" he said.

  He pointed toward the sky.

  "Look at it."

  No one spoke for a few seconds.

  Finally, the elder councilor cleared his throat.

  "We will form a special committee to investigate."

  Xilo stared at him.

  Then he started laughing.

  Not loudly.

  Just enough to make everyone uncomfortable.

  "A committee," he repeated.

  He turned to Yildes.

  "The world might be ending and they're forming a committee."

  Yildes didn't laugh.

  He just closed his eyes for a moment.

  The meeting ended soon after.

  No solutions.

  Just more discussions.

  Later, the two brothers stood in a quiet hallway outside the chamber.

  Xilo stretched his shoulders.

  "So that was useless."

  "Expected," Yildes replied.

  Xilo glanced at him.

  "You thinking about the boys?"

  Yildes didn't answer immediately.

  "Rion will adapt," he finally said.

  "And Kael?" Xilo asked.

  Yildes looked back at the sky.

  For the first time, there was uncertainty in his eyes.

  "Kael is… different."

  Xilo smirked.

  "That's one way to put it."

  A guard suddenly approached them quickly.

  "Sir—urgent report from the observation division."

  He handed Yildes a sealed document.

  Yildes opened it.

  His eyes narrowed slightly as he read.

  Xilo noticed immediately.

  "What?"

  Yildes handed him the paper.

  Xilo read it.

  Then his smirk disappeared.

  The report was short.

  Only one line mattered.

  Unknown mana signature detected beyond the fracture.

  Xilo slowly looked back at the sky.

  "...Well."

  The crack pulsed faintly above the city.

  And for the first time—

  Something moved inside it.

  The war had begun.