Ethan stepped into the auditorium, a colossal space that felt more like a modern coliseum than a conference hall. The air was thick with a mixture of expensive incense and the metallic ozone of high-tech security dampeners.
In the front row—the epicenter of the nation's power—the seats of the sovereigns awaited. There sat the legends: the leader of Celestial bathed in silver light; the general of the Sea King Army with his deep blue aura; the chief of the Desert Oasis wrapped in tan hues; and the leader of the Scavengers, whose place was marked with a dark red that looked like dried blood. The two remaining seats, reserved for Ethan and Anne, stood out under a golden glow.
As he sat, Ethan noticed the map projected onto the table. His territory, Massachusetts, glowed with the Royal emblem in pure gold. Beside him, the Matriarch's spot simply read "Blackwood Matriarch," colorless, as if she stood above any geographic division.
