Some anchors spoke with too much confidence. Because among them, too, were vampires.
They adjusted the tone, softened the wording, and steered the discussion in the desired direction. Human memories could still be tweaked, individual witnesses would forget details, video fragments would "accidentally" disappear, and the emphasis would shift.
But it was no longer possible to erase what had happened completely.
There were too many recordings. Vampires had also been involved in the conflict, and their memories could no longer be wiped or altered.
While the information front was blazing, in underground bunkers and government centers, humans were already moving faster.
Special services were opening archives and cross-referencing coordinates from the leaks. Catacombs, warehouses, laboratories, everything shown on screen had now become targets.
"Alpha team, moving out," a dry voice said over the radio.
"Confirming heat signatures."
"Object may be active."
The hunt had begun. Small groups of humans who had resisted the vampires were somehow surviving among the ghouls; some even managed to eliminate lone vampires when possible.
In the hall, however, a heavy, almost tangible silence still hung.
Roy took a step forward, as if every inch cost him effort. He approached Anna and stopped at arm's length.
For several seconds he simply looked at her, studying her. Yes, he hadn't wanted to hand everything over to a woman.
But.
Then he inclined his head, deeply enough for everyone to notice.
"My loyalty… damn it, fine," he said evenly, without a trace of hesitation.
"If everything becomes normal thanks to you… I serve you."
Anna held his gaze.
"You don't serve me, Roy," she replied quietly.
"You serve the family. I hope you understand that you can no longer continue doing what you've been doing."
He gave a barely noticeable approving nod.
But his eyes remained watchful and wary, the eyes of a man who knows an alliance can last only until the first convenient moment.
Elizabeth stood to the side.
She watched the stage: Roy's bowed head, Anna, Kane still kneeling. There was no anger on her face.
Only clarity. Cold, almost surgical.
She stepped closer and stopped directly in front of Anna.
"You're stronger than I expected," she said. Yes, this wild woman hadn't wanted to speak to Anna, but she had no choice.
"Did you know I would win?" Anna asked.
"I knew you would try."
A pause hung between them, heavy as lead.
"I will not follow you," Elizabeth added.
Someone in the hall drew in a sharp, quiet breath.
Anna wasn't surprised.
"Oh, so you don't like being manipulated by a woman?" Anna asked playfully, spreading her arms like the most charismatic actress.
"It's because I don't like you as a leader. And you're too young," Elizabeth replied. Her voice was steady, but exhaustion could be heard in it.
"Sudden changes always create problems."
"Are you choosing the side of those who left?" Anna asked.
Elizabeth gave a faint, bitter, almost imperceptible smile.
"I choose…"
And with those words she turned and headed for the exit, not in haste, but by her own cold decision. Her heels clicked quietly against the marble.
The doors closed behind her softly, almost soundlessly.
Gérard had been watching all of this like a chess game in which the board had suddenly been replaced.
He took a step toward Anna.
The hall instinctively froze.
"Do you understand what's about to begin?" he asked quietly, almost intimately.
"Yes."
"International branches will test you. Humans will start applying pressure. Those who left will try to create an alternative leader."
"Let them try."
Gérard narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Then I propose an alliance."
The hall grew even quieter.
"Non-subordination," he added.
"I will remain the guarantor of the old agreements. You will do as you see fit. Together we will maintain the balance."
Anna looked at him for a long time. Very long.
There was no ultimatum in his words. Only the pragmatism of an old predator who understood that the board had been flipped.
"And if I refuse?"
"Then we will have to fight," he answered calmly.
"And right now, no one can withstand that."
She nodded.
"Alliance," she said.
"Without experiments or any other nonsense you want to push through?"
"Agreed," Gérard said after a short pause.
There was no weakness in that agreement. Only acknowledgment, though Anna had no desire to shake his hand.
Off to the side, leaning against the edge of the ruined stage, stood Kane Corvin.
He no longer looked majestic. His posture had changed.
He raised his eyes to Anna.
The connection between them was palpable. He was no longer the sire.
He was the turned.
"What now?" he asked quietly.
Anna stepped closer to him.
"Now you do what I say," she answered.
"And you learn to be part of what you wanted to control."
He gave a tired, almost gentle smirk.
"And if I can't?"
"Then I'll remind you who holds the branch."
He didn't argue.
Because he felt it in every cell.
Beyond the windows, the horizon was already beginning to lighten.
Anna stood at the broken edge of the stage, looking out at the city.
Somewhere out there, beneath concrete vaults, Elizabeth's laboratories and medical centers were already being opened. Human special forces were entering the tunnels with flashlights and weapons. Cameras recorded empty cells and traces of a hasty evacuation.
Behind Anna, footsteps sounded.
Gérard approached, hands clasped behind his back.