Sayma sat at the long dining table. She pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. She had a neat notebook open in front of her. She clicked her pen several times. She looked very polite and very calm.
"Statistically speaking, setting your own footwear on fire reduces your combat mobility by eighty percent," Ira stated. The water mage stood perfectly still near the doorway. Her pale face showed zero emotion. She stared blankly at Laxmi. "It is a highly inefficient tactical decision. I strongly advise against it."
Laxmi rolled her eyes. "You guys have zero sense of style. Style is very important in a fight."
Luna lay flat on a long wooden bench. The lightning user was fast asleep. A soft, knitted blanket covered her shoulders. She snored very quietly. She did not care about fire kicks or style. She only cared about her dreams.
Risa sat on the rug right next to Ken’s sofa. The sweet pink-haired healer held a box of colored pencils. She drew a picture on a piece of white paper. She looked up at Ken. She smiled her bright, innocent smile.
"Look, Ken," Risa said softly. She held up the paper. "I drew a picture of a potato for you. I gave the potato a little top hat. He looks very fancy."
Ken leaned over. He looked at the drawing. He gave Risa a massive, goofy thumbs-up.
"That is a very distinguished potato," Ken praised her. He popped another cookie into his mouth. "He looks like he owns a very successful bank. You are a fantastic artist, Risa. I am going to hang this on my bedroom wall."
Risa giggled happily. She went back to coloring.
Princess Iris walked out of the strategy room. The violet-eyed royal wore her crisp dark blue uniform. Her silver hair was tied in a loose ponytail. She looked very relaxed. She smiled warmly at her chaotic, messy family. She loved seeing them so happy.
"Good morning, everyone," Princess Iris greeted them smoothly. She walked over to the sofa. She looked at Ken. "You are eating cookies before lunch again, Ken. You are going to ruin your appetite."
"Cookies are an appetizer, Princess," Ken explained lazily. He slouched his shoulders. He grabbed his bag of chips again. "They prepare the stomach for the main course. It is basic science. You have to warm up the digestive muscles."
"That makes absolutely no logical sense," Sayma noted politely from the table. She smiled a small smile. "But I will not argue with your unique biology."
The living room was full of easy laughter. The air felt totally safe. They had recently stopped a corrupt politician. They had stopped a massive radiation bomb project. They felt very proud of their hard work. They believed the capital city was secure. They believed they could finally enjoy a quiet week.
Suddenly, the magical television screen mounted on the wall flickered violently.
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The anime show completely vanished. The colorful cartoon characters disappeared. The screen turned a bright, glaring red. A loud, piercing alarm sound blared from the television speakers. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
The harsh noise shattered the peaceful morning. The joyful laughter died instantly.
Luna woke up with a gasp. She rubbed her sleepy eyes. She sat up quickly. Zinia stopped stretching. She turned her head toward the screen. Laxmi extinguished her orange spark. Sayma dropped her pen. The pen clattered onto the wooden table.
Naomi stood up from her armchair. Her green eyes narrowed. She recognized the red screen. It was an emergency broadcast override. The government only used this system for absolute, catastrophic events.
"What is happening?" Risa whispered. The sweet healer hugged her teddy bear tightly. She looked very scared.
"Quiet," Princess Iris commanded softly. Her violet eyes locked onto the television. "Listen."
The red screen faded. Two news anchors appeared on the broadcast. It was Bob and Sarah. The 13th Unit recognized them instantly. They were the energetic sports anchors who usually hosted the tournament matches.
But today, they did not look energetic. They did not wave their hands. They did not smile.
Bob wore a plain black suit. His face was entirely pale. All the color had drained from his cheeks. His hands shook visibly on the glossy news desk. He stared directly into the camera. He looked absolutely terrified. Sarah sat next to him. She wore a dark gray blazer. Tears streamed freely down her face. She wiped her eyes with a tissue. She could barely hold her microphone.
The studio behind them was totally silent. There were no flashy graphics. There was no upbeat music.
"Citizens of the Belmontia Empire," Bob started. His voice cracked terribly. He sounded like a man who had just witnessed the end of the world. "We interrupt all normal broadcasting. We have received an official, confirmed report from the Imperial military command. We bring you news of an unprecedented tragedy."
Ken stopped chewing his cookie. He slouched his shoulders. He stared at the screen.
"This is not a drill," Bob continued. He swallowed hard. His voice trembled with raw fear. "A catastrophic attack has occurred beyond our eastern borders. It happened just a few hours ago. We have lost contact with an entire allied nation."
Sarah leaned forward. She tried to speak. A loud sob escaped her lips. She took a shaky breath.
"The Bluemoon Kingdom has been attacked," Sarah wept openly on national television. "But it was not a normal military invasion. The enemy did not use swords. They did not use normal magic. They used a weapon of absolute, mass destruction."
Princess Iris took a slow step backward. Her heart hammered in her chest. She remembered the Bluemoon Kingdom. She had just visited that kingdom. She knew King Justin. She knew the brave grandmasters. She knew the innocent people who lived there.
"A weapon of mass destruction?" Naomi whispered. Her face turned pale.
"The Imperial scouts report that a forbidden device was detonated," Bob explained. He read from a piece of paper. His hands shook so badly the paper rattled. "The weapon is officially classified as the Solurious Thermal Weapon."
The entire living room went completely, undeniably silent.
The name hit the 13th Unit like a physical punch to the stomach. Solurious. It was the exact same toxic, radioactive magic they had just investigated. It was the exact same bomb project they had tried to stop. They thought they had secured all the blueprints. They thought they had arrested all the corrupt scientists.
"No," Sayma gasped. She pushed her glasses up with a trembling finger. "That is impossible. We destroyed the laboratory. We arrested Dr. Raven. We stopped the production. The bomb could not have been built."
"Someone else had the blueprints," Zinia realized grimly. The strong earth mage clenched her fists. "Someone else finished the project."
Bob looked directly into the camera. His eyes were wide with pure horror.
"The detonation occurred directly in the center of the Bluemoon capital city," Bob reported. His voice was a hollow whisper. "The blast radius was massive. The sheer thermal force and toxic radiation completely consumed the entire region. Everything within a one-hundred-mile radius of the blast center has been entirely vaporized."
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