The silence in the Tempest war room was a stark contrast to the storm of revelation brewing within Veer. He stood before his father and sister, the grime of Bihar still faintly clinging to his boots, and placed the cold, white ceramic shard on the polished table. It landed with a definitive click.
"The disappearances weren't random. They're a supply chain," Veer began, his voice low and steady, all traces of his former resentment burned away by a cold, focused fury. He detailed the Pale Syndicate, their chilling efficiency, and Rohan's nihilistic pragmatism. "They're kidnapping low-tier Awakened and selling them. The buyers are a group called Eternal Night."
He expected shock. He expected disbelief. Instead, he was met with a heavy, knowing silence. Aditya and Jiya exchanged a glance, a silent communication that spoke of shared, unvoiced concerns.
"Eternal Night," Aditya repeated, the name a gravelly whisper. He leaned forward, his fingers steepled. "A name we have heard in whispers from intelligence reports in the far south. Shadowy. Unsubstantiated. Until now." He looked at Veer, his gaze intense. "Your proof?"
"The kidnappers are intermediaries. They don't know the fate of their victims, only that Eternal Night pays well for 'viable subjects'," Veer said, tapping the shard with his finger. "And I found this at a kidnapping site. Their signature."
Jiya's eyes narrowed at the symbol of the consumed crescent. "We've seen echoes of this. Factions trading in forbidden tech, rumors of Awakened with... modified abilities, fighting with a frenzy that isn't natural. We never had a source. Only a pattern." She looked at Veer, a new respect in her eyes. "You haven't just found a local problem, Veer. You've found the head of a serpent we didn't know was so close to our doorstep."
The realization was a jolt. He wasn't bringing them a shocking new truth; he was providing the missing piece to a puzzle they had already been struggling to solve.
"It seems your mission was more timely than we knew," Aditya said, turning to the main holoprojector. "Because while you were uncovering this rot in Bihar, the world stage shifted." He brought up a file stamped 'SYLVAN WEALD - PARADIGM SHIFT.'
The footage was already days old. It showed the Amazon, but it was no longer a chaotic disaster zone. From the stabilized rift had emerged an army of tall, graceful humanoids—Elves. They moved with preternatural coordination, clad in armor of living wood and moonlight. But they weren't attacking humans. The footage showed them ruthlessly, systematically cleansing the jungle of every mutant beast and corrupted horror.
"They emerged a week ago," Jiya explained, her voice a mix of awe and unease. "They've declared the entire Amazon a sovereign territory—'The Sylvan Weald.' They've erected energy barriers and repelled every probe. South American nations have no choice but to classify it as a Disaster Zone, but it's a civilized, organized one. They are powerfully isolationist."
Before Veer could process this new, alien factor on the global board, a third, more immediate alert blared—this one from Tempest's northern border command.
URGENT: MUTANT MIGRATION. HIMALAYAN FRONT.
Aditya opened the live feed. The footage from high-altitude drones showed a nightmare in motion. A tide of shambling, twisted forms was pouring through the Himalayan passes from the Tibetan plateau. The Chinese Mutant Disaster Zone was not just expanding; it was migrating with terrifying, singular purpose, spilling into India and neighboring countries.
"This started 48 hours ago. The scale is unprecedented," Aditya said, his voice cutting through the tension. He turned to Jiya, his posture shifting from strategist to supreme commander. "Jiya. This is no longer a guild matter. This is a national crisis. You will take the 1st and 3rd Tempest Battalions north. But you are not going alone."
He activated a city-wide broadcast channel, his voice echoing with the authority that had made Tempest the shield of India.
"Attention, all guild masters and free company captains. This is Aditya Roy. By the authority vested in Tempest by the Mumbai Accord, I am invoking Article Seven: National Defense. All guilds are hereby mobilized. The Iron Fist, Silver Serpent, and Vanguard guilds will integrate into the northern defensive line under Jiya Roy's command. All smaller guilds and independent Awakened are to report to designated muster points for assignment. This is not a request. The survival of our nation is at stake."
He cut the channel and looked at Jiya. "You are now commanding the Indian Awakened Defense Force. Hold the line. Whatever is driving that horde, we cannot let it break through."
Jiya snapped a sharp salute, her face a mask of grim determination, and strode from the room, her comm already buzzing with the voices of a dozen subordinate guild leaders.
Aditya then turned to Veer. The room felt emptier, the weight of command now resting solely on the two of them.
"The world is at war on fronts seen and unseen," Aditya said, his voice lowering. "I cannot give you an army. The army is going north. But the war you uncovered… the war in the shadows… may be the one that truly decides our fate." He gestured to the ceramic shard. "Take Anika. Take a small, fast team you trust. Your mission is to follow the trail of Eternal Night. Find their connection to all of this—the mutants, the orcs, even these elves. Be the root, Veer. Uncover who is pulling the strings."
Veer met his father's gaze and nodded. The path was clear. The soldier who fought visible enemies was gone. The hunter of the world's darkest shadows had his orders.