The evacuation tent was quiet tonight. Not crowded, but far from comfortable. My body curled under a borrowed blanket, eyes shut but my thoughts never truly still.
From a distance, faintly, the sound of a news broadcast played from a radio hanging on a metal pole.
"...after more than twenty hours of relentless effort, the unidentified creature that emerged in downtown Shionra was finally subdued... around three a.m. local time."
No cheers. No celebration. Everyone had either fallen asleep from exhaustion or was trapped in a silence too deep to break.
I… just stayed still. Not relieved. Not crying. Not even thankful. Only weight—guilt, heavy and molten like lead in my chest.
The next morning, I stood frozen before the ruins of my home. The echoes of explosions, fire, and that monstrous roar still clung to my memory.
I climbed over the pile of rubble. My hands started lifting smaller pieces of debris, not knowing why. I wasn't even sure I still hoped to find it.
Some shards of glass, bits of tile, and a twisted window frame—I set them aside. My breath was heavy, my body sticky with dust. As I began to climb down the heap, my foot slipped on a slanted concrete slab.
"Shit…"
I crashed into a pile of wood and bricks. Pain. I groaned, clutching my bruised elbow.
"Ugh... damn it…"
That's when I saw it.
The corner of a book… wedged beneath a piece of broken roof. Dirty, pressed down, but still intact.
My heart pounded. The pain vanished.
I pulled the rubble away, grabbed the book, and hugged it tightly to my chest.
"Wow… is this… really… real?"
Dark Room, Dominatus Headquarters.
Smoke once again danced through the air. Four figures sat around the glass table. A large map of the eight regions filled the screen. The Behemoth's path cut across cities—marking three territories, leaving one untouched.
"Zepharia's beginning to loosen."
"Ignisora is holding, barely."
"Thalmera… won't last much longer."
A robed figure leaned forward.
"But the land—Gaelvorn—still hasn't cracked."
Another crossed their arms.
"Always the most stubborn. They think they can resist the tide of the world just because they stand on old rock."
"Then let's give them a quake they can't ignore."
"The Behemoth is calming. We can steer it, slowly. If we release it at the western border… let's see how long Gaelvorn can resist 'nature' itself."
A low chuckle echoed from the dark corner.
"In the end… they'll beg for intervention. And when that happens, we'll offer our hand."
"For a price."
"For power."
One of them pressed a small button on the table. The map zoomed in on Gaelvorn, highlighting underground nodes.
"As long as their Titan still stands… the earth-wielders will keep believing they're untouchable."
A voice curled through the room, full of imperial hunger:
"A clash of titans… after thousands of years. The world will fall silent watching it."
"And we'll redraw the borders… over their ruins."
Four heads nodded slowly.
Smiles hidden beneath masks.
"Then let's bring that Titan down."