CHAPTER SEVENTY ONE-LYSANDER

Lysander's POV

Three seconds later, and we were walking the crystal floors that led to the meeting room. Balls of magical light lit our path, and mystical creatures passed us by with stunned expressions.

"You'd think we were the ones living in a fishbowl," I remarked beneath my breath, making my sister laugh and nudge my ribs.

As soon as we entered the enormous glass-enclosed conference hall, the walls frosted, obscuring our view of the outside.

"Lovely to see you two again! Though, I wish it were for happier reasons, of course." Genedier clapped her hands, taking elegant strides toward us in her blue and silver gown. "Please, take your seats. We have much to discuss."

Suddenly, I felt small, cold hands and a woman's chest pressed against my arm.

"You can sit by me, San." I rolled my eyes to the top of my head so she couldn't see, shrugging her off much more gently than I wanted to.

"Where are you sitting?" I asked sweetly, giving her my fakest smile.

She pointed to the right side of the enormous cherry conference table, so I promptly dragged my sister with me to the left, placing myself between the head and her. Sicily gave an exaggerated huff, like a tantrum-throwing toddler, before taking her seat across from me. I pretended not to see her purple eyes fixated on me and ignored the way she kept fixing her short white hair to appear less wild.

Damn, this woman was irritating.

After a minute or so, Coree sat beside Sicily, and Genedier began.

"So. After years of preparation, he was freed early. Care to explain what happened?" She directed at me in a pretty kind way, considering the circumstances. I stood, placing my hands in my pockets.

"Yeah, the Sire decided to complete the ritual early. He somehow managed to hide the intense magical energy from our senses, so we expected to have another month. Fortunately, Aria was strong enough to take out William before things came to a finish." Sicily scoffed, but I ignored her. "We've been busting our asses trying to figure out how he was even communicating with the old man, but nothing we've checked showed us any indication. We arrived as he was finishing the sacrifices, but the dark magic burned the shit out of Luna. If I wasn't there to heal her, she would've died." Sicily gasped, giving my sister a pathetic, concerned face. Did she have to be so animated?

"How was the magic that potent with him still in prison?" Coree asked.

"Don't know. Our guess is that he's somehow been leaking power." I shrugged.

"Somehow? Oh please, we know it was Anica. Your dad obviously did an exchange with that bitch before we locked him up." Sicily sneered, looking directly at me. This bitch.

"Do you have a problem—" I started to growl, but my sister caught my arm.

"Regardless of how it happened, it did. And until we figure out their plans, we need to focus on protecting the Queen. She's our only shot. We know what we saw. With mine and Lysander's powers combined, she should be strong enough to defeat him." Luna's words brought me a semblance of peace, and I sat back down.

"Alright, when are you planning on doing your exchange, Luna?" Genedier asked sincerely.

"She just got Lysander's last week. If we push it too quickly, her body might not be able to handle it. No mortal has ever gotten so much of a First's power before, much less two Firsts. The last thing we need to do is accidentally kill her."

"What's the big deal? Can't San just heal her again like he did during their war?" Sicily asked, raising her brow cockily while picking at her fingernails.

I gripped the arm of the chair, splintering it in the process.

"It's not that fucking simple. That used a significant amount of my life force. I can't just go around resurrecting her whenever she dies unexpectedly. You know that," I spat, and she rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, we both know you would do it anyway. You're practically obsessed with the girl."

I hissed, my eyes red, but my sister stood before I could jump across the table.

"Sicily, enough. We shouldn't be fighting. We need to work together, or else our goals of peace will never be reached. Don't you want your kind to be able to live freely again?" My sister asked, giving me a side glance to make sure I wasn't still fuming.

I gave her a nod of assurance, picking at the chunks of wood I managed to mangle from the seat.

"You're right, we mustn't forget our purpose here. But I still don't understand how we are going to stay ahead of him. Haven't your premonitions stopped?" Genedier replied, clasping her hands on the table.

"Yea, but our dad isn't one to move quietly. We know that there will be a time in which he rules successfully, so we can catch him then. Maybe we can find some spies to send in once he's settled into a palace," she responded coolly.

"How have the humans been responding to this?" Coree ran his hands through his long fur in thought.

"It's already all over the news. This is New York." Genedier pulled out a tablet and a projector started to play a news broadcast against the frosted glass.

The young female anchor looked seconds from tears, her mascara leaking from the corners of her eyes.

"We have received reports that the abnormal hue of the sky is the same worldwide. Baffled meteorologists say that there is no scientific explanation for the phenomenon, bringing citizens to panic. Looting has started, which has led to mass shootings across New York. Governing authorities are urging all residents to stay indoors until more information can be obtained. The President has been working tirelessly with other worldwide leaders to come up with an emergency plan of action that will—"

Suddenly, the broadcast was interrupted. By him.

He stood in a darkened room, his waist-length hair tied behind him and his piercing silver eyes staring directly at the camera. His devilish smirk gave me chills, and his deep and sinister voice made me want to vomit.

How could I be related to this asshole?

"Hello, various species of Earth. My name is King Lorec, your new ruler.

I know you may be asking yourself if the world is ending, but I assure you, the world is very much still spinning, and your lives will go on. Tomorrow you will wake up and go to work, just like any other day. However, things may look a little different from now on.

I will be sending out my associates to ensure that everybody is behaving themselves. You see, I don't have a lot of patience for those who oppose me. Obey me and you will be rewarded; disobey, and you will be punished, just like your pathetic excuses for rulers. Keep this in mind when you consider going against me like they did."

Images cluttered the screen of various presidents, prime ministers, and human royalties in gruesome murder scenes, the same black-robed figures in the background of each shot.

Shit. How are his angels alive? I thought we had killed them all off in the last war.

"Now that my expectations have been made clear, there are some secrets you must know about the world you live in."

"Fuck," I mumbled, my eyes wide as I took in his destruction. Entire cities were burnt to the ground, palaces crumbled to ash, and villages wrecked with mass flooding. How did he manage to do all that in such a short amount of time?

He kept talking, but all I could think about was Aria. Was she safe? Did he visit her? Damn, where was he now?

A loud boom of thunder shook the foundation of the palace, and my eyes shot back to the screen.

"Oh, and if you're watching, my dear children, why don't you pay your dad a visit? I'm right where you left me. I've missed you."

Then, with a slight nod, the broadcast was cut. He never left England?

"Do you think he's going to follow through? Do you think he would go on another murdering spree?" Coree asked, his furry face contorted in concern.

"He doesn't need to. The humans will kill each other first."

Which was true. In my experience, humans never responded well to change. And this was one hell of a change. Reality as they knew it was crumbling around them.

Millions would die before Dad would gain proper control, which actually worked in our favor. He would handle the difficult part of getting all of mankind used to the idea of supernaturals; then Aria would offer them a more peaceful ruler, one that wasn't basically a communist dictator like him.

Was she ready for that? I wasn't sure how long it would be before she took over. According to one of our final visions, the twins were walking by then, so between one and two years old. That means one to two more years under the rule of King Lorec.

This was going to be hell.

We concluded our meeting in Atlantis without having solved anything, and I wasn't quite ready to face the chaos of human civilization. I knew my home in Pittsburgh was going to be a mess with riots nearby, so that left only one place.

I glanced at my sister, who was walking beside me gleefully, as if the world hadn't just descended into chaos.

"Go ahead, brother. Go to her," she said with a smile.

I smiled in return, pulling her in for a hug. My sister and I had always been close, even before we were granted our abilities, and I loved how encouraging she was. She never spoke an ill word to me, even when I was being an asshole.

"You're the best, Luna," I stated truthfully.

Loud clicking of heels on crystal made me jump, and I knew I had to go.

"San-!"

Then, I left. I really didn't want to talk to Sicily right now. To be honest, all I wanted to do was have a nice sip of brandy and relax.

After seeing Aria, of course.