The room did not return to normal after the transmission.
Even after Marco lowered the phone.
Even after the silence settled again.
Something had shifted.
Not just in the world outside.
But inside the room itself.
Vanessa stood near the window, her gaze fixed on the dark forest beyond the estate. The night hadn't changed. The trees were still. The air unmoving. Nothing about the outside world reflected what had just happened.
But she could feel it.
The war had accelerated.
And worse—
It was no longer predictable.
Marco broke the silence first.
"Well," he said, his voice quieter now, less sarcastic than usual, "that makes two leaders down."
Vanessa didn't turn.
"Yes."
Marco ran a hand through his hair.
"And the guy who just left here is one of the ones still standing."
"Yes."
Marco glanced at Gale.
"Which means things are about to get worse."
Gale didn't respond.
But he didn't need to.
Vanessa already understood.
The hunter hadn't come just to test them.
