Angel Monarch

Henry explained everything to her mother in detail. The near destruction of her city mortified her. She felt especially thankful for Vicky, but she couldn't thank her yet, since her surgery was still ongoing.

She apologized, yet froze when questioned regarding her whereabouts. She couldn't in good conscience justify turning off her watch, and now she cursed herself for listening to Jonas.

Contemplation only deepened her confusion. Jonas told them all to turn their watches off, but his reasons weren't the best. They just kind of went along, so he would stop annoying them, which should've been alarming.

Just as the realization of Jonas's guilt hit her, Otto rushed inside the tent. His face was red from anger and his emotions were so turbulent, his aura began leaking.

Everyone other than Elizabeth felt suffocated. The subtle initial pressure on their bodies gradually intensified, eventually making it hard to breathe or stand. That's when Elizabeth noticed everyone's strange expressions.

She stepped forward and gave a firm slap to Otto. She didn't need to say a word, as he quickly realized his mistake and began controlling his power.

All the normal humans fell to their knees. The sudden disappearance of the constant pressure knocked them off their feet. Elizabeth wanted to berate Otto, but she didn't get a chance as Bea ran inside.

She delivered a much stronger slap to his face, finally knocking his lights back on. He looked away sheepishly, with shame, and tried to mumble an apology, but Bea was having none of it.

"Stop acting like a child and get your shit together! Yes, we were betrayed, yes you messed up, but that doesn't give you the right to lose control! If we want to catch Jonas, we need to think with leveled heads, not fuming hatred!"

Her words got to Otto. He stood up straight, nodded towards Bea, and gave a firm, sincere apology to everyone. His shame also disappeared, and a deep, calculated vengeance took its place.

The parents and children accepted his apology, while Elizabeth just stared at him with annoyance. After a few seconds, she began walking out, motioning for Bea and Otto to follow.

"We need to discuss this betrayal with the others. The problem is that nearly nobody survived the attack. By Henry's account, only you two, Antal, Sera and her group, El the general from Pragua, the representatives of Warsaw, Krak and Odesz, had survived."

Bea gave the queen a questioning eyebrow raise, prompting her to elaborate.

"Ignacy, Zofia and Fabian, Krak's and Warsaw's representatives went out before the attack to explore the city. Pavlo, Odesz's representative, actually fought and survived with only a few injuries. Everyone else died, though, which is a significant loss, since many were actual leaders of their cities."

This was awful news. Bea finally understood who thorough the attack was. Other than four city-states, everyone else lost either their leader or a council member.

Harold, with one decisive strike, ensured no giant alliance formed or at least made the process much more difficult.

Elizabeth typed on her watch, asking every survivor to meet up for a tactical meeting. Bea and Otto walked along with her to the same room where they discussed their future in the afternoon.

So much had happened since then. The hope of a well-working alliance fell apart, but they survived to gather the pieces, and until they lived, nothing was truly lost.

The large room with the round table looked bleak, with so many empty seats. Earlier, double the number of leaders and representatives were present; now, only eight remain.

Everyone was silent for a few moments, as the situation's weight hit them all hard. Minutes had passed before anyone remembered how to speak.

The first one was Otto, who still held suspicion towards his old friend. He looked to his left with an unreadable expression, staring straight at Antal.

"Why did you suggest that place? You know how many lives we could've saved, if we at least heard the attack?" He asked in a hushed tone, barely containing his anger.

Bea placed a calming hand on his, which affected him quite a bit. His breathing evened out, and his rampant heart became steady.

A few seats away, Antal sat. He was possibly the most handsome person Bea had ever seen, and even though she wouldn't admit it, she felt a pull towards him, similar to gravity, but on an emotional scale.

This pull had nothing to do with her actual feelings. Antal's powers used emotions and manipulation, so even passively, people felt a connection with him. Otto warned her against prolonged eye contact, lest she become captivated.

Bea couldn't deny that those light purple irises felt like an endless abyss as she took glances. His long, dark pink hair flowed behind his straight back like the sky when the sun sets.

Despite not appearing happy upon hearing the accusation, the handsome man comprehended Otto's perspective. He just sighed with self deprecation and shook his head sadly.

"It wasn't my fault. Jonas and I talked quite a lot when the United Front was born. We also spoke and caught up upon arrival here. He suggested a lot of times to visit that club, and I thought we can have fun there… I apologize for what happened, and my part in it. Jonas fooled me, just like all of us!"

Otto disliked his shirking responsibility, but Bea's hand calmed him enough to stop further accusations. Elizabeth, across the table, nodded, then surveyed the room. Her eyes held contempt and curiosity as she judged them all by their expressions.

Whatever she saw in their eyes made her convinced, and with a deep exhaustion, she turned towards the glowing map at the middle of the table. The previous blue that marked the members of their alliance turned to gray.

"As you can see, our position became much worse. Our alliance retains most city-states, and even those others might still join, but that's uncertain."

"All the grayed-out cities remain unaligned. Their new leaders will determine the continuation of their place within our alliance. Also, with the sudden loss, their position to fight against either Napoleon or the Federal Alliance is questionable at best."

The silence returned as everyone examined the cities. The biggest problem was the heart of Europe. Except for Prague, all the other cities appeared grayed out.

Only Prague, London, and Castleburg remained in the west and central Europe. The east remained strong with Buda-Pest, Odesz, Krak, and Warsaw, the same went for the south with the Angelic Order's territories.

Their enemies remained in the west, though. With Vicky, troop transportation wasn't the biggest issue, but with the lack of closeness providing support and influence will be a pain in the ass.

Out of everyone, El—Pragua's Transcended general, and only representative—became the most concerned. Her city was in an extremely precarious state. Discover exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire

Wien's proximity alarmed them, given their few living Transcended and lack of Stellars. Budapest was even closer; however, Antal's position improved their situation.

"What do we know about Jonas? And what's Wien's position in this betrayal?" she asked, trying to hide the tremble in her voice.

Bea couldn't determine if the tall, olive-skinned woman felt fear or anger; either emotion was valid. Prague was the next target for Napoleon and Harold; this was common knowledge to everyone.

They had the weakest position by far out of every city-state, and their strategic importance was vital for further expansion to the east and south.

But El still held hope. Were Jonas the sole issue, Wien could remain neutral, perhaps even join. He was only one member of their council, so it was a possibility that they didn't condone his actions.

Unfortunately, her hope didn't last, as Antal informed her of the news he recently received via his watch.

"Jonas had escaped the city, that much we know. Regarding Vienna, I have some updates… While the attack was happening, a planned coup occurred there. Most of their council either bent the knee to the Federal Alliance, or got executed."

A few curses echoed in the large chamber, as everyone hoped for the opposite. Elizabeth ended the silence quickly.

"We can't really make plans until Seraphine or Bran awakens, but I'm sure we can work out a defensive plan for Pragua, so they at least had a chance against a potential attack… Ideas?"

The Queen looked between Antal and Otto, since their cities laid the closest to Pragua. They also had the most excess Transcended to send as an expeditionary force.

"I can send about a dozen Transcended." said Antal, and Otto quickly followed up. "I will also send a dozen led by my brother, Victor. I'm sure a Stellar would be crucial during a siege."

Everyone's, even Elizabeth's, and Antal's eyes, snapped towards Otto. Sending a dozen Transcended was already extremely kind and helpful, but a Stellar too?

El couldn't even react. Her mouth agape, she stayed frozen for a few moments before mumbling an awkward thank you. Her shock didn't wear off until they actually began discussing the timetable for the supports.

They needed the reinforcements there as soon as possible. The attack could arrive any day, so preparations needed to be done quickly.

The general really stood up for her city, and in under half an hour, they finished planning. Because of Sera's absence, they could do nothing else for the night, and they also needed rest before making any big decisions about revenge.

Everyone left the room, while they each continued to communicate with their own city's' leadership. Bea even informed Melinda about the events, and she suggested preparing for the worst.