Chapter 58 - 57: Continental Crisis
"Every able hunter to stations immediately!"
The voice cut through courthouse corridors like breaking glass. Emergency sirens wailed from crystal speakers embedded in the courtroom. Footsteps thundered against marble floors as panic spread through the building.
The deliberation chamber door burst open. Twelve jurors abandoned their debate in coordinated chaos. Political disagreement meant nothing when monsters broke through dimensional barriers.
Director Voskar led the exodus. Military training overrode civilian protocols. His scarred hands clutched emergency communication crystals that blazed with urgent messages.
Callen Etros stumbled behind him. Family grief forgotten in face of existential threat. ARES Guild needed leadership. Revenge could wait.
Guild representatives sprinted through the private corridors as stone passages echoed with shouted orders. Emergency protocols guided them toward secure communication centers.
Vice-Chairman Eltyos coordinated Association response. Decades of military experience managing continental defense networks. Information flowed through magical channels connecting every major power center.
The courthouse emptied like water through broken dam.
Leon stood alone in the abandoned courtroom. Manna-dampening cuffs pulsed against his wrists. Stone walls echoed with distant sirens and shouting voices.
Heavy footsteps approached through empty corridors.
Chairman Ethella entered without his usual ceremony. Midnight robes disheveled. Yet his perfect composure not cracked by continental emergency. Though his cold eyes carried weight Leon had never seen before.