The sun slowly disappeared behind the mountains of northern Spain.
Its golden light gave way to an uneasy crimson glow that seemed to seep from the valley itself.
The evacuation had already begun.
Several kilometres away...
KB and Benjamin stood before the entrance of the ancient cave revealed through Omnipotence.
The cave appeared ordinary.
Weathered stone.
Cold air.
Ancient carvings nearly erased by time.
Yet every instinct warned them otherwise.
Benjamin activated his scanners.
"No radiation."
"No magnetic disturbance."
"No thermal irregularities."
He lowered the device.
"Science has reached its limit."
KB calmly smiled.
"Then we'll rely on something older."
Benjamin nodded.
Together, they stepped inside.
The ancient cave trembled.
Crimson mist poured through the tunnels like living smoke, carrying whispers that clawed at the minds of every living creature nearby.
Consume...
Feed...
Become Whole...
The corruption spread silently across the valley.
Outside the mountains, panic threatened to spread faster than the crimson energy itself.
Fortunately...
KB and Benjamin had already prepared for this.
Following the strategy they had devised together, Hope Organisation rescue teams moved with remarkable precision.
Roads leading toward the mountains were quietly sealed.
Emergency shelters opened throughout northern Spain.
Medical teams received every evacuee with calm professionalism.
No rumours.
No chaos.
Only organised compassion.
Benjamin monitored every operation through Alexa's battlefield network.
"Sector Three evacuated."
"Sector Five is clear."
"Two rescue teams are extracting hikers from the eastern ridge."
He looked towards KB.
"The plan is working."
KB smiled.
"Because everyone is fulfilling their role."
Several kilometres away...
Natasha Romanoff coordinated local authorities with flawless efficiency.
Without revealing the true nature of the disaster, she calmly convinced mayors, police officers and emergency services to relocate entire communities under the pretext of geological instability.
Not a single civilian resisted.
Nearby, Clint Barton remained stationed upon a rocky cliff overlooking every mountain pass.
His arrows never left the bowstring.
Every movement through the forest entered his sight.
When the final evacuation convoy disappeared down the valley road, Clint finally spoke through the communicator.
"Last convoy is safe."
Natasha climbed into the waiting Hope Organisation vehicle.
"I'm heading to KB."
"We're finished here."
Benjamin's voice answered immediately.
"Good."
"Proceed to our position."
Nearly twenty minutes later...
Natasha and Clint reached the ancient cave.
The moment they crossed its entrance...
They felt it.
A suffocating pressure settled over their minds.
Every instinct screamed at them to leave.
Clint frowned.
"This place..."
"...feels alive."
Natasha nodded.
"And it hates us."
Benjamin remained calm.
"It isn't the mountain."
"It's the corruption."
KB slowly stepped forward.
"No."
"It is testing our resolve."
He gently closed his eyes.
A warm golden radiance gathered around him.
Unlike Iron Man's armour...
Or Doctor Strange's mystic circles...
No spell was spoken.
No machinery activated.
A single golden lotus quietly bloomed beneath his feet.
Then another.
Then dozens.
Within moments...
Thousands of radiant lotus flowers spread throughout the cave.
Their petals shimmered with gentle golden light.
The divine radiance expanded beyond the mountain itself.
Across the forests.
Across the valleys.
Across every evacuation route.
Benjamin smiled.
"The Lotus Domain..."
The transformation was immediate.
Every crimson whisper vanished.
The suffocating pressure disappeared.
Fear quietly dissolved.
Outside...
Children stopped crying.
Injured rescue workers found renewed strength.
Exhausted volunteers stood a little taller.
Hope Organisation doctors stared in disbelief as frightened civilians suddenly regained their composure.
Clint slowly lowered his bow.
"I don't know what he just did..."
"...but I suddenly feel like this battle isn't impossible anymore."
Natasha smiled faintly.
"That's what KB has always been."
"Hope."
Benjamin quietly observed the expanding Domain.
"The Lotus Domain isn't attacking the corruption."
"It's restoring balance."
KB nodded.
"Dharma does not begin with destruction."
"It begins with protection."
Alexa's voice echoed through their communicators.
"The corruption's expansion has slowed by ninety-three percent."
"Psychological stress among evacuated civilians has stabilised."
"Local ecosystems are showing signs of recovery."
Benjamin smiled.
"You've bought us precious time."
KB gently corrected him.
"We all did."
Far beneath the mountain...
The Soul Devourer staggered.
Golden lotus petals drifted silently around him.
As one touched his shoulder...
A forgotten memory surfaced.
His daughter laughing.
A warm family dinner.
His own human name.
The memories disappeared almost instantly.
Yet they had returned.
Even if only briefly.
The corrupted fragment within him roared.
Consume!
Reject the light!
The Soul Devourer clutched his head.
"...Who..."
"...was I?"
For the first time...
The monster questioned himself.
But the hunger refused to disappear.
Instead...
It changed.
His crimson eyes slowly turned north.
Beyond the mountains.
Toward civilisation.
Toward greater prey.
A cruel smile spread across his face.
"If I cannot consume him..."
"...then I'll become strong enough to."
With terrifying speed, he vanished into the darkness.
Hours later...
Northern Spain's central police headquarters remained unusually busy.
The recent evacuations had filled temporary holding cells with criminals arrested for looting, smuggling and violence during the confusion.
Investigators worked tirelessly to process evidence.
None of them noticed the lone figure entering through a damaged service tunnel beneath the building.
The lights flickered.
Security cameras failed.
Then...
Silence.
No alarms.
No screams.
Only darkness.
When officers finally reached the underground level...
Every corridor stood empty.
Bodies remained.
Souls did not.
The Soul Devourer slowly walked through the abandoned station.
Every consumed soul flooded his mind with new knowledge.
Police tactics.
Criminal networks.
Forensic investigation.
Interrogation methods.
Weapons training.
Languages.
The stolen experiences merged seamlessly into his growing consciousness.
Then...
Something different.
One of the criminals had lived a secret life.
Not merely a smuggler.
A hidden Hydra operative.
A scientist specialising in advanced technology and biochemistry.
As that soul disappeared...
An overwhelming torrent of scientific knowledge entered the Soul Devourer's mind.
Genetic engineering.
Experimental serums.
Energy systems.
Molecular biology.
Advanced weapons research.
The transformation was immediate.
His posture straightened.
His thoughts became sharper.
He instinctively understood concepts that moments earlier had been beyond his comprehension.
He looked at his own hands.
A slow smile appeared.
"So..."
"This is what genius feels like."
His crimson eyes glowed brighter than ever.
"If absorbing an average scientist has elevated me this far..."
He laughed quietly.
"...then what would happen..."
"...if I devoured every scientist inside the Hope Organisation?"
The thought filled him with anticipation.
Far away, inside the Lotus Domain...
KB suddenly opened his eyes.
Benjamin immediately sensed the change.
"He moved."
KB nodded slowly.
"And he has chosen his next target."
Benjamin's expression hardened.
"The Hope Organisation."
KB looked toward the distant horizon, where the last rays of sunlight disappeared beyond the mountains.
"No..."
"He has merely begun to desire it."
"Which means..."
A faint golden lotus bloomed once more beneath Aureon's feet.
"...our race against the darkness has truly begun."
.....
Inside the temporary Hope Organisation command centre, holographic displays illuminated the operations room as Alexa monitored every rescue team, satellite feed and emergency transmission.
For the first time since arriving in Spain...
Everything appeared stable.
Then Alexa's calm voice echoed throughout the room.
"Priority Alert."
Every display instantly turned crimson.
Benjamin looked towards the central screen.
"What happened?"
A three-dimensional projection emerged.
Everyone's expression changed.
The projection showed the souls previously devoured by the mysterious enemy.
Instead of passing on...
They remained trapped within the corruption.
Then something horrifying occurred.
One corrupted soul slowly reconstructed itself into a twisted spiritual entity.
It possessed no memories.
No emotions.
Only one instinct.
Devour.
The creature attacked another wandering soul.
It consumed it.
Within seconds...
That soul regenerated as well.
Then another.
Then another.
The corruption spread through the spiritual plane exactly like an unstoppable plague.
Alexa completed her analysis.
"Every soul consumed by the primary host becomes permanently corrupted."
"Corrupted souls regenerate and inherit a lesser form of the Devouring Trait."
"Each new corrupted soul is capable of creating additional corrupted souls."
"Estimated propagation model resembles an exponentially expanding infection."
Silence filled the command centre.
Clint quietly muttered,
"So..."
"We're not fighting one monster."
Benjamin answered gravely.
"We're fighting an army that's still being born."
KB's expression remained calm.
"The corruption doesn't merely destroy life."
"It recruits it."
Meanwhile...
Inside the abandoned Northern Spain Central Police Headquarters...
The transformed adventurer calmly walked through the silent corridors.
Hours earlier...
His name had been Alejandro Vargas.
A retired explorer who had spent decades searching for forgotten ruins and ancient mysteries.
A husband.
A father.
A man respected throughout his village.
Now...
Only fragments of Alejandro remained beneath the corruption.
The world would soon know him by another name.
The Soul Devourer.
Using knowledge stolen from investigators and technicians, Alejandro activated the headquarters' surveillance network.
Hundreds of security feeds appeared before him.
Police reports.
Government databases.
Emergency communications.
Hope Organisation relief operations.
Everything unfolded before his crimson eyes.
As he reviewed reports of the missing officers and criminals...
He noticed something impossible.
Every location where he had devoured souls was now reporting unexplained spiritual disturbances.
His stolen scientific knowledge immediately searched for a pattern.
He replayed every event.
Every victim.
Every soul.
Then...
He understood.
The corners of his mouth slowly curved upward.
"So..."
"They aren't disappearing."
He enlarged one of the surveillance recordings.
A faint crimson apparition briefly manifested before fading from sight.
His eyes widened with excitement.
"They're evolving."
He laughed quietly.
"I don't merely consume souls..."
"I create them."
The realisation thrilled him.
Every person he devoured would eventually return as another corrupted devourer.
Each new devourer could create countless more.
His power was no longer additive.
It was exponential.
The corruption would grow even while he rested.
Alejandro leaned back in the chair.
For the first time since touching the crimson fragment...
He truly began to think like a conqueror.
His crimson eyes reflected the countless names displayed across the monitors.
"No..."
"I won't attack them."
"Not yet."
"They're too organised."
He folded his arms.
"I'll let my children spread first."
The regenerated corrupted souls would weaken humanity from within.
Governments would panic.
Cities would fall into confusion.
Hope Organisation would eventually be forced to divide its resources across the world.
Only then...
Would he strike at its heart.
A slow smile spread across his face.
"This..."
"...will be a hunt worthy of me."
...
Back inside the Hope command centre...
Alexa interrupted the silence once more.
"Primary host identified."
A holographic image appeared.
Photographs.
Travel permits.
Family records.
Exploration journals.
Benjamin quietly read the profile.
Alejandro Vargas.
Age: 67.
Nationality: Spanish.
Profession: Retired explorer and adventurer.
Natasha stared at the smiling family photograph.
"He looks..."
"...ordinary."
KB looked at the image with quiet compassion.
"He was."
Benjamin lowered his eyes.
"The man in this photograph is gone."
KB nodded gently.
"The corruption didn't choose a monster."
"It created one."
The room fell silent.
Even Clint found himself looking at Alejandro's family picture for several moments.
There was no hatred.
Only tragedy.
KB slowly turned away from the display.
"The enemy has evolved."
"So must we."
Benjamin immediately projected a strategic map of Spain.
"I'll begin coordinating additional containment."
KB raised a hand.
"First..."
"We secure humanity's trust."
He pointed toward Madrid.
"I'll speak with the Spanish government."
Natasha smiled knowingly.
"You intend to convince an entire government in one meeting?"
KB grinned.
"I was hoping to finish before lunch."
Clint laughed.
"I almost feel sorry for the ministers."
Benjamin shook his head with a smile.
"They'll leave believing every decision was their own."
KB placed a hand over his heart dramatically.
"I simply help people discover the wisest choice."
Natasha folded her arms.
"That's a very diplomatic way of saying you're impossible to argue with."
KB laughed.
"I'll accept that compliment."
The room's heavy atmosphere lifted, if only briefly.
His expression soon became serious again.
"Benjamin."
"I need you coordinating directly with the national police."
"You understand both technology and intelligence better than anyone here."
Benjamin nodded.
"I'll establish a joint command."
KB turned toward Natasha and Clint.
"The police headquarters is no longer secure."
"Alexa detected unusual activity there."
Natasha reached for her pistol.
"We're moving."
"Observe first," KB reminded them.
"If Alejandro is there..."
"Learn before you fight."
Both agents nodded and departed immediately.
KB then opened an encrypted communication channel.
Tony Stark.
Steve Rogers.
Nick Fury.
James Rhodes.
Sam Wilson.
Their holograms appeared one after another.
Tony smiled.
"When you call everyone together, I start checking whether Earth still exists."
KB smiled back.
"So far..."
"It does."
Tony sighed theatrically.
"That's only mildly reassuring."
KB's tone remained playful.
"I have a favour."
"Protect every Hope Organisation facility."
Tony blinked.
"...That specific?"
"And slightly urgent."
The smiles vanished.
KB explained everything he had learned.
The Devouring Trait.
Soul corruption.
The regeneration of corrupted souls.
The infection spreading beyond death itself.
The silence that followed was heavier than any battlefield.
Steve spoke first.
"Then containment is no longer enough."
"We stop the spread."
Tony leaned forward.
"How many protective suits do you need?"
KB smiled.
"I was actually going to ask how many Iron Man armours you still have."
Tony answered truthfully.
"Forty-three combat-capable."
"Several prototypes."
KB nodded approvingly.
"Good."
"We'll need every advantage."
As the Avengers immediately began planning together under Steve's leadership, KB entered the workshop of the temporary base.
Unlike Tony's armours, his designs focused on protection rather than firepower.
Nanotech woven with divine geometry.
Sacred lotus inscriptions integrated into advanced molecular shielding.
Their sole purpose...
To prevent direct soul contact.
As golden light danced across the workbench, KB smiled quietly.
"The battle ahead..."
"...won't be won by stronger weapons."
"It will be won by protecting every soul we can."
Outside, beneath the moonlit sky...
Inside the temporary Hope Organisation command centre, three sleek metallic cases rested upon the central table.
KB gently opened them.
Within lay three newly forged combat suits.
Unlike Iron Man's armours, they were neither bulky nor intimidating.
They were elegant.
Lightweight.
Golden lines flowed across matte-black nanofibre, converging into a radiant lotus emblem over the chest. Delicate geometric patterns, infused with divine magic and Hope Organisation nanotechnology, shimmered faintly beneath the surface.
Benjamin examined one closely.
"You finished them already?"
KB smiled.
"I had excellent inspiration."
Clint picked one up.
"So... do these fly?"
KB looked genuinely thoughtful.
"They don't."
Clint sighed dramatically.
"I keep asking."
"And you keep disappointing me."
Natasha laughed quietly.
"I think he enjoys watching you ask."
"I absolutely do," KB admitted without shame.
Everyone chuckled.
The tension that had filled the room moments earlier eased.
Benjamin activated his suit.
Silver nanotechnology flowed across his body before merging seamlessly with the newly designed armour.
Golden lotus patterns briefly illuminated before disappearing beneath the surface.
"Extraordinary."
KB nodded.
"The armour won't make you stronger."
"It will prevent direct soul contamination."
Natasha immediately became serious.
"So physical contact won't be enough anymore."
"It never should have been."
KB replied.
"This enemy attacks existence itself."
....
New York,
Deep beneath Avengers Tower...
Tony Stark had transformed three laboratories into one enormous assembly line.
Dozens of unfinished Iron Man armours stood in organised rows.
Mechanical arms welded.
Nanoforges hummed.
JARVIS coordinated every process with perfect efficiency.
Tony folded his arms proudly.
"I may have gone a little overboard."
Rhodes looked around.
"A little?"
"I stopped counting after forty."
Nearby...
Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson watched as two reinforced combat suits emerged from the fabrication platform.
Tony tossed Steve a circular case.
"For Captain Patriot."
Steve opened it.
Inside was a tactical combat suit preserving Captain America's classic colours while integrating lightweight Stark technology beneath the fabric.
No unnecessary weapons.
Only protection.
Steve smiled.
"You remembered."
Tony shrugged.
"I know better than to mess with the stars."
Another case slid towards Sam.
His upgraded Falcon equipment featured improved wing durability, enhanced sensors and emergency shielding.
Sam nodded appreciatively.
"Now this..."
"...is beautiful."
Tony smirked.
"I know."
Bruce Banner quietly entered the laboratory.
"So..."
"What's all the overtime for?"
Tony's expression became unusually serious.
He explained everything.
Spain.
The Soul Devourer.
The corrupted souls.
Hope Organisation.
Silence followed.
Bruce slowly removed his glasses.
"If that's true..."
"...what about Hope Organisation's other branches?"
"What about Asia?"
"Africa?"
"South America?"
"There aren't Avengers protecting every one of them."
The laboratory fell silent.
Steve lowered his head thoughtfully.
Sam exchanged a worried glance with him.
It was a question no one had considered.
Then...
Tony smiled.
"Oh..."
"I already planned for that."
He pressed a button.
The hangar doors slowly opened.
Rows upon rows of autonomous Iron Legion armours stood waiting.
Hundreds of glowing eyes activated simultaneously.
Tony folded his arms proudly.
"My robot army."
"They're rescue units first."
"Combat units second."
"If anything happens..."
"They'll respond long before I can."
Bruce smiled.
"I forget sometimes..."
"...that you're always building for tomorrow."
Tony pointed at him dramatically.
"Exactly."
Someone has to."
The atmosphere lightened once more.
Steve nodded.
"Begin relocating Hope Organisation's New York headquarters into Avengers Tower."
"No arguments."
Tony saluted playfully.
"Already halfway done."
Throughout the afternoon...
Scientists.
Doctors.
Researchers.
Engineers.
Entire laboratories quietly relocated into newly prepared sections of Avengers Tower.
Hope Organisation and the Avengers officially began operating side by side.
Not as separate organisations.
But as allies.
While technology prepared one battlefield...
Words prepared another.
....
Inside Spain's Presidential Palace, the atmosphere remained tense.
Around the conference table sat the Prime Minister, cabinet ministers, military commanders, intelligence officials, economists and scientific advisers.
No one doubted KB's sincerity.
They doubted the situation.
The Prime Minister spoke first.
"Mr KB..."
"You are asking an elected government to respond to a threat no one can publicly explain."
"Help us understand why."
KB inclined his head respectfully.
"That is a fair question."
He remained standing.
Not above them.
Among them.
"My purpose today is not to ask you to believe extraordinary stories."
"My purpose is to show you extraordinary evidence."
He gestured toward the holographic display.
Satellite images appeared.
Medical reports.
Environmental readings.
Security footage.
Every piece of evidence was independently verified.
No speculation.
Only facts.
The Defence Minister spoke next.
"Our military is trained to fight armies."
"How do soldiers fight something that attacks souls?"
KB answered calmly.
"They don't."
The minister frowned.
KB continued.
"They protect civilians."
"They secure evacuation routes."
"They maintain order."
"The battle against the corruption belongs to those equipped to face it."
"I am not asking your soldiers to fight monsters."
"I am asking them to fulfil the duty they have always fulfilled."
"Protect the people."
The general slowly nodded.
That answer made sense.
The Finance Minister adjusted his glasses.
"Large-scale evacuations will cost billions."
"Our economy will suffer."
KB smiled gently.
"Perhaps."
"But tell me..."
He looked directly at the minister.
"What is the value of one human life?"
The minister remained silent.
KB continued.
"When disasters occur..."
"No nation asks whether saving lives is profitable."
"They ask whether more could have been saved."
"The economy can recover."
"A lost generation cannot."
Several ministers quietly lowered their eyes.
The Interior Minister spoke.
"If panic spreads..."
"We could create greater chaos than the threat itself."
KB nodded.
"Which is why we will never announce what we do not yet understand."
He displayed another hologram.
"We describe this as an environmental emergency."
"The evacuation remains truthful."
"The danger remains contained."
"We protect the public."
"We do not frighten them."
The Interior Minister slowly smiled.
"So..."
"We maintain order without deception."
KB nodded.
"Trust grows through honesty."
The Scientific Adviser finally spoke.
"Everything you've shown us challenges established science."
"How do you expect scientists to accept something beyond current understanding?"
KB's smile widened.
"I don't."
Confused expressions appeared around the table.
"I expect scientists..."
"...to investigate it."
"The history of science is the history of impossible things becoming understood."
"If our ancestors had rejected every impossible discovery..."
"We would still believe lightning belonged only to the heavens."
Several researchers quietly laughed.
The adviser nodded thoughtfully.
"Fair enough."
An intelligence director leaned forward.
"Suppose this threat reaches another country."
"Why should Spain act first?"
KB answered immediately.
"Because Spain became the first nation to witness it."
He paused before continuing.
"Leadership is rarely convenient."
"But history remembers those who stepped forward first."
The room became quiet.
Finally...
The Prime Minister himself asked,
"Tell us honestly."
"If we approve every request you've made today..."
"Can you guarantee victory?"
The room fell completely silent.
Everyone looked at KB.
He did not answer immediately.
After several moments, he spoke.
"No."
No one expected that answer.
"I cannot promise victory."
"I cannot promise there will be no sacrifice."
"I cannot promise every life will be saved."
His voice remained calm.
"But I can promise this."
"The Hope Organisation."
"The Avengers."
"And I..."
"...will never ask another family to bear a burden we are unwilling to carry ourselves."
He looked around the room.
"I do not ask Spain to trust my reputation."
"I ask you to judge me by my actions."
"If, after today, you believe another course protects your people better..."
"I will support that decision."
The room fell into thoughtful silence.
There was no pressure.
No manipulation.
Only respect.
The Prime Minister slowly stood.
"I've negotiated with presidents..."
"Kings..."
"And generals."
He smiled warmly.
"Today I met someone who understands that true leadership begins by listening."
He extended his hand.
"Spain stands with you."
One by one...
Every minister rose.
The military commander offered the army's cooperation.
The Interior Ministry authorised nationwide emergency preparations.
Scientific institutions opened every laboratory to Hope Organisation researchers.
Emergency funding was approved unanimously.
Not because they feared KB.
But because he had answered every objection with reason instead of pride.
As the meeting ended, one elderly minister chuckled.
"Mr KB..."
"You've won an argument without defeating anyone."
KB laughed softly.
"My teacher once taught me..."
"The finest victory is the one where everyone walks away believing they won."
The ministers shared warm smiles.
....
Benjamin stood before senior officers of the National Police.
Maps covered the walls.
Missing persons.
Roadblocks.
Safe zones.
Unlike politicians...
Police officers demanded practical solutions.
Benjamin provided them.
Every evacuation route.
Every communication protocol.
Every contingency.
His strategic precision gradually erased every doubt in the room.
One commissioner finally stood.
"I've worked thirty years."
"I've never seen planning like this."
Benjamin smiled modestly.
"I learned from someone much wiser."
Meanwhile...
Natasha and Clint arrived outside the abandoned Northern Spain Central Police Headquarters.
Yellow police tape fluttered in the wind.
The building was silent.
Far too silent.
Natasha activated her new armour.
Golden lotus markings shimmered briefly before fading beneath the surface.
Clint adjusted his own protective suit.
"I miss the days when abandoned buildings just had bad guys."
Natasha smirked.
"You still have bad guys."
"They're simply... less conventional."
They stepped through the shattered entrance.
Neither noticed the faint crimson footprints disappearing into the darkness.
....
New York,
Steve stood before a holographic map of Manhattan.
The city rotated slowly before him.
"If Alejandro reaches New York..."
He placed several markers around Avengers Tower.
"We cannot fight him like ordinary enemies."
"We defend civilians first."
Sam added evacuation routes.
Tony overlaid drone patrol patterns.
Rhodes coordinated rapid-response deployments.
Every Avenger contributed.
Every possibility was considered.
Elsewhere...
Nick Fury addressed emergency media officials and secure communications with the World Security Council.
Following Hydra's exposure, distrust had once divided every discussion.
Now...
Things were different.
Fury presented the evidence.
No exaggeration.
No secrets.
Only facts.
When questions arose...
A familiar voice answered before Fury could.
Eric Morgan.
Benjamin's father.
A respected member of the World Security Council since his appointment following the global success of KB's Nanotech Healer initiative.
Eric calmly addressed every concern.
"The Hope Organisation has earned the world's trust."
"So have the Avengers."
"I recommend immediate international cooperation."
One by one...
The remaining council members agreed.
For perhaps the first time in decades...
Politics chose unity over pride.
As midnight approached...
Across Spain...
Across New York...
Across the world...
Heroes prepared.
Governments united.
Scientists worked without rest.
Soldiers stood ready.
Hope Organisation and the Avengers had become a single shield protecting humanity.
Far away, standing alone beneath the crimson moon, Alejandro Vargas watched the glowing lights of civilisation.
He smiled.
"They're preparing for war."
His crimson eyes narrowed.
"So am I."
Neither side realised it yet...
But the first move had already been made.