Chapter 407: The ship will change everything.

The air in the room seemed to become tense and tenser, with every second that passed after those words were said. The Somnivores were already divided due to ambitions, and the current mess was not helping.

Erik slammed both hands onto the table so hard that two tea cups shattered into tiny bits. He stood up, his face red with anger. "Are you insane?! That is not an option. Even if Leif actually did this_ which he didn’t!_ he is still one of us! He is my son! How can we hand our own flesh and blood to those fragile weaklings for judgement?"

Almeida didn’t even flinch. He leaned forward, his terrifying red eyes locking onto Erik. "One of us? Don’t joke around, Erik. Leif is a hybrid! Half Orakun, half human! He’s like a soup made with two completely different broths that don’t belong together! Do not forget that the reason hybrids exist is to help us fit in better and grow our numbers. Besides, his crimes were committed against humans, so the humans get to punish him. End of story." He paused and threw him a challenging gaze. "Or do you want us to vote on this?"

Erik looked around the table. He had only a handful of allies, and he knew the vote was pointless. Almeida’s side had enough support to win easily. With a defeated sigh, Erik shook his head and leaned back in his chair.

Without waiting for Erik to say another useless thing, Almeida pushed back his heavy throne chair with a loud screech. He stood up, adjusted his luxurious black trench coat, and marched straight out of the room.

Ivar immediately scampered after him like a loyal follower, along with the elders who blindly supported the leader.

The doors slammed shut with a final click, bringing the meeting to an end.

Erik collapsed back into his seat, letting out a long, frustrated sigh that sounded like a deflating balloon. He looked around the room at the four remaining Somnivores who hadn’t left.

"See?!" Erik pointed a long, shaky finger at the door. "See what I’ve been telling you all for years? Almeida is not fit to lead us anymore. Look at him! He’s practically wagging his tail just to please those silly humans!"

Anukin, a quiet elder with bushy brows, nodded slowly in agreement. "He has a point. If this keeps up and we hand Leif over, the humans will not stop at one, they will demand for another victim and another, until we are all wiped out. They’ll start thinking we’re their equals! Ugh, the thought alone makes my skin crawl."

"Equals? Ha!" Tonio, a fiercely loud elder with wild hair, spat right onto the polished marble floor. "I will never forgive those dirty humans! Remember Zolger? They killed him! Then they ripped out his core like a bunch of wild savages just to build that stupid protective Veil!" His eyes burned with pure hatred. "Humans are cold, heartless creatures! They shouldn’t be shaken hands with; they should be wiped out completely! This ’peaceful co-existence’ dream Almeida keeps selling is nothing but a giant crock of garbage!"

Erik smiled, feeling a warm rush of satisfaction. He nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly, brother Tonio! Exactly! And that is precisely why I’ve been secretly building my own army of hybrids in the dark. Almeida thinks I’m stupid, but I’m ten steps ahead. All I need now is to get my hands on the space ship, and my army will be fully ready to sweep through the human world! We will not show them the mercy Zolger did, many years ago. We will not repeat the mistakes of our past."

The remaining elders looked at each other, their eyes lighting up with greed and excitement. They all nodded together like pecking chickens.

"That ship will change everything but remember that Almeida is looking for it as well," Anukin muttered, grinning softly.

Tonio suddenly blinked, remembering something important. He leaned across the table and asked, "Wait, Erik... what about Leif? What are you going to do with your son?"

Erik’s smile instantly turned into a cold, vicious sneer. His eyes narrowed into small slits. "Oh, don’t worry about Leif," He said, his voice dropping into a dark, creepy whisper. "I’ll handle my little boy personally. And as for that Soul Maiden who wants to be a witness against him..." He stroked his sharp nails together, making a faint screeching sound. "...she won’t be witnessing anything ever again."

*****

It had been a while since breakfast in the Kaelion household was as lively as it was today. Looking at the dining table, you would think this family had not been washed with devastation recently! There was happy chatter everywhere, practically hiding the fact that a family member had literally just died, another one was currently sitting in a cold basement cell awaiting trial and two of Sabrina’s husbands had left early in the morning, leaving only signed divorce papers behind.

A Soul maiden being divorced was cause for scandal, ordinarily. But, given all that was going on in the world currently, it was nothing but a pinch of salt in the sea.

The conversation mostly revolved around Hunter and what a super cheeky child he had been back in the day. What trouble the cousins had got into. Which aunt and uncle to avoid for different funny reasons.

Alessa couldn’t stop fussing over Zyra. "Zyra, dear, are you comfortable? Do you need more milk? Is this fork to your liking? Is it shiny enough?"

Even Loveline leaned in with bright eyes. "Tell me your favorite food, Zyra! I’ll personally cook it for lunch today. And I noticed your boots were dirty, I will have the maids wash and polish them for you."

Zyra was overwhelmed by all the sudden affection, but before she could even answer, the butler walked in with a smooth bow and announced, "Grand Elder, your guests have arrived."

The Grand Elder stroked his beard and motioned with his hand. "Let them in! Let them in!" He then turned to Zyra with a mysterious, warm grin. "Zyra, my girl, you are going to be so, so happy when you see who just walked through the door!"

Zyra frowned a little, but a tiny curiosity-filled smile touched her lips. Who could it be? Mrs Munch? A surprise gift? She lifted a big spoonful of delicious tomato salad, aiming straight for her mouth. But the spoon stopped exactly halfway.

Her eyes drifted toward the entrance, and her smile instantly vanished into thin air.

Walking into the room were Master Greydrake, Mrs Munch, Isabelle, and... Ian.

Zyra’s mood plummeted straight into a frozen cave. She immediately looked away, dropped her spoon back onto the plate with a clatter, and stood up cold as ice. "I have things to take care of."