The Extra Wants Control

Verona\'s smile vanished, replaced by a glacial stare.

"What war?" Kim countered, her voice dropping to a low hiss. "You think you can declare war on me because of that… spoiled bastard?" Her eyes flickered towards Neveah before continuing. "He started all of this! Shouldn\'t he be punished for his arrogance?! He tried to kill the dragons and even us!" Kim, emboldened by a misplaced sense of foolish courage, blurted out.

But her outburst died in her throat as she found herself on the receiving end of a withering tri-fold glare. Chatham\'s icy blue eyes held a flicker of annoyance, Kali\'s emerald-blue gaze burned with silent reprimand, and Verona\'s violet stare threatened to freeze her on the spot. The combined effect was devastating.

Kim\'s face drained of color, her bravado dissolving faster than mist in the midday sun. With a whimper, she crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Still, Verona\'s casual suggestion of war sent shivers down everyone\'s spine.

Axl, who had been nodding along in agreement with Kim moments earlier, now flinched under Aethelred\'s steely gaze. Even he, blinded by his own pride, could sense the shift in power dynamics.

Kali, ever the diplomat, stepped forward, her nine-star tigerkin attendant rushing to Kim\'s side. "I apologize for my niece\'s outburst," she said, her voice firm despite the tremor that ran through her. "Though, I would like an explanation of why this happened."

Verona\'s eyes narrowed, Kali\'s composure, even in the face of such power, was admirable.

Verona\'s sigh echoed through the area, her voice heavy. "Let me guess the situation," she began, her voice low and dangerous. "Your son painted Neveah as the villain, and fueled by their limited information, the others readily adopted that narrative. And with their \'blessed\' status and influential backgrounds, the rest of you followed and accepted their story without question."

Her gaze swept over the area, landing on Axl, Azrael, Astrid, and a now-conscious Kim. Each flinched under her scrutiny, a mixture of shame and fear clouding their features.

"We were in the middle of interrogating him," Bjorn mumbled defensively, Aethelred offering a silent nod of agreement.

Verona\'s lips curled into a humorless smile. "Interrogating? How do you interrogate a dead man, answer me Dwarven Monarch!" she countered, her voice rising slightly. "The attack the Dragon King launched at Neveah was an 8-star attack, at the very least. You want me to believe a 5-star vampire could withstand such an assault and remain available for your questioning?

And the rest of you… you simply stood by and watched? Meaning ...you agreed with the method."

The room grew colder, the air thick with Verona\'s suppressed fury. The racial leaders, despite their best efforts, felt their confidence waning under the weight of her unspoken threat. Just as they began to formulate a response, a gasp escaped Aethelred\'s lips.

A subtle shimmer surrounded Verona, a visual glitch that never solidified but they could see it a stunning crown. It arced above her head, six brilliant blue stars adorning each side forming an ethereal crown. The air crackled with a sudden surge of power, a tangible manifestation of her presence.

"Twelve stars?!" Bjorn breathed, his voice filled with a mixture of awe and terror. The other leaders echoed his sentiment, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Meanwhile Valeriana was motivated? As if she felt her goal was viable when she saw the 12 stars. Verona noticed it and was impressed by the young empress\' talent. But this was a serious conversation and she needed to act as such.

Verona\'s smile widened, the amusement devoid of warmth.

The revelation hung heavy in the air, shattering any remaining pretense of defiance. The racial leaders, used to wielding power within their own domains, had never encountered an entity of such immense strength. They realized, with a sickening certainty, that they had made a grave miscalculation which could have catastrophic consequences.

Verona\'s revelation, a crown of twelve shimmering stars hovering above her head, hung heavy in the air. The pressure she exuded was a tangible entity, a suffocating weight that pressed down on the leaders of the races, almost forcing them to their knees but it didn\'t as Verona was holding back ALOT!!

Axl, Azrael, Astrid, Lara and Kim, all caught in the wake of this power display, felt utterly insignificant, but they were shielded by their respective monarchs.

Verona scanned their humbled forms, a predator surveying its prey. Just as the oppressive aura started to rise getting stronger, threatening to crack them under its weight, a flicker of something unexpected crossed her features. It was a fleeting glimpse, a flicker of a smile that seemed to defy logic. With that smile, the crushing pressure inexplicably vanished, leaving behind a bewildered silence.

" Not yet." She muttered under her breath that no one heard even Neveah who was close to her.

In that moment of quiet, Verona had felt it again – the gaze of the Goddesses upon Elnova. In the moment it came it was gone as Verona\'s power stopped rising.

Verona\'s gaze swept over the room, settling on the downcast faces of the blessed students. "It\'s not Neveah\'s fault your blessed got beaten up," she declared. "They should blame their weakness for their predicament." Her statement sent a ripple of unease through the crowd.

Neveah, however, stepped forward with confidence radiating from him. "Yes, but I do have something to say, I have video proof of confrontation between me and the dragons" he announced. His voice, though youthful, held a surprising coolness firmness that surprised the racial leaders.

Apart from the Null report, none of them knew of Neveah\'s personality. So seeing him unfazed by this situation was a surprise but Aethelred looked at Neveah strangely, he was the cause of this situation. He wanted nothing more than to end him but he knew he couldn\'t not with that monster beside him. He didn\'t want to anger the vampires.

Yes, the Dragon King was afraid of Vampires, though he wouldn\'t admit it.

"What?" Axl blurted out, his earlier bravado replaced by a gnawing fear. The rest of the room echoed his sentiment, their eyes fixated on Neveah, wondering what proof he could possibly possess in this situation.

" Yes, Video proof," Neveah stated simply, his gaze locking with Aethelred\'s. The Dragon King\'s face remained cool.

"How can we be sure it\'s valid?" Aethelred questioned, a desperate attempt to regain control of the narrative.

Never, however said "The recording artifact was made by the churches, so if..."

Verona cut him off and continued as she stated coolly. "If you question its validity, it means ...you question your Gods." Her smile widened showing her fangs, at this moment she was very proud of Neveah.

" Hahaha..." She couldn\'t help but laugh.

Neveah, sensing Aethelred discomfort, couldn\'t resist adding a final jab. "Oh, but you can check its authenticity by taking it to the churches," he said in a cold tone, but internally he was liking this. Momentarily he even forgot he was weak now.

Aethelred\'s face contorted into a grimace. He wouldn\'t be caught questioning the divine authority of the churches. "That… that isn\'t necessary," he mumbled, dismissing this conversation. He doesn\'t want to be embarrassed anymore.

Verona\'s smile widened"Good," she declared, her voice became serious, ringing through the clearing. "Then Bianca, Chatham, heed my decree. From this day forth, the Vampires withdraw from the alliance, consequentially the vampire students will drop out of the academy."

A murmur arose from the crowd. This was a drastic decision.

"There\'s no need to learn where we will be constantly painted as the antagonists," Verona continued, her voice gaining a bitter edge hinting at something. At this moment Clara and Kim felt affected by the statement," she knew?" they thought grimly.

With a final flourish, she turned towards her subordinates. "Neveah, give the elves the artifact as they were the least involved in this matter. Bianca, get me ALL vampires. We are going back to Nightingale."

Neveah\'s walked over to Lara and handed her the recording artifact. Lara, took it from him, she then looked at the disguised Clara who just nodded.

Across the clearing, Bianca, a tall, imposing vampire with black hair and black eyes, emerged from the crowd one who knew could tell she looked like Constantine and Kael.

Her piercing black eyes scanned the area, locating the other vampires, even the hiding Pete and Keith, with practiced ease. With a silent gesture, she gathered them, and as if by magic, they vanished into thin air.

The remaining students and leaders stood speechless, their gazes fixed on the spot where the vampires just stood. Lara, holding the recording artifact, became the center of attention. Now everyone was curious what had happened in the tomb. Axl\'s face was pale.