War Room.

A huge holographic image appeared in the middle of the room. It showed a big, fancy room far away, in Silver Phoenix Empire. The leaders of another great world power sat around a shiny table. They were serious army commanders in nice silver uniforms, and old robed mages whose eyes glowed with a faint light.

Princess Ariana stood among them, her face looking calm.

On this side of the projection, the Headmaster and General Ironwood stood close together, acting as one. Jonah, Vanessa, Seraph, and Draven stood behind them.

"The data is confirmed," Vanessa said, her voice clear and strong as she ended their talk. The holographic blueprint of Project Damocles, Thorne's orbital weapon, floated between the two rooms. It was a scary image that joined the two rival nations. "Thorne's designs are sound. The threat is real."

On the other side of the projection, one of the Phoenix Empire's head mages, an old woman with a strong face, nodded slowly. "Our own arcanists have analyzed the energy readings from the data crystal. We agree. A weapon this big, powered by a captive legendary essence... it is a disaster ready to occur."

For a moment, it seemed like they were all on the same side, united against a common enemy.

The moment did not last.

A powerful, strict-looking man in a silver military uniform moved forward.

"A disaster of your own making," he said. He was Lord Valerius, a famous and feared elder from the Phoenix Empire, known for his aggressive politics.

General Ironwood's expression hardened.

"For a century," Lord Valerius continued, his cold eyes moved across Ironwood and the Headmaster, "the Golden Dragon Nation has pursued reckless shortcuts to power. Your Divine Serum is an abomination, a harsh and forceful act against how nature should be. This habit of making power happen where it shouldn't be is what made a place for evil people like Thorne and the Syndicate to succeed."

His accusation stayed in the air, cutting and hurtful. He was blaming them. He was saying this whole mess was their fault.

"You dare lecture us about responsibility?" General Ironwood yelled loudly, his voice so loud it made the holographic projection blink. "While your nation sat on its hands for centuries, hiding its knowledge of the Artificer civil war? Hiding the truth about Weavers? If you had shared your history, we could have seen this coming! We could have stopped it before it began!"

The room burst with angry shouts and accusations from everyone. Old rivalries, a hundred years of suspicion and blame, suddenly became clear. They were two nations, pointing fingers at each other while a gun was being loaded and pointed at both their heads.

Jonah watched the chaos, feeling sick to his stomach. This was useless. They were wasting time. Thirty days. They only had thirty days.

Lord Valerius raised a hand, and the room fell into a tense silence. He was clearly the most powerful voice on their side.

"The General's anger is expected," Valerius said. "But it does not change the facts. The Sterling Syndicate is a cancer that grew from a sickness within the Golden Dragon Nation. Therefore, it is your problem to solve."

He smiled, with a dangerous look on his face. "Perhaps it is best if we let you. The Syndicate will hurt you and make you weaker. You, in turn, will hurt the Syndicate. And when both of you are badly damaged and broken, the Phoenix Empire can get ready to... clear away both problems."

The threat was clear. He wasn't offering to help. He was threatening to sit back and watch them destroy each other, and then pick off the winner.

The alliance was about to fail before it could even properly form.

"No."

A clear voice cut through the silence. It was Ariana.

She came out from behind the army leaders and stood in the middle of her chamber, looking straight at Lord Valerius. She was young, but at that moment, she had a power and a right to lead that made everyone in the room quiet.

"You are mistaken, Lord Valerius," she said, her voice full of a strong belief that made the old man pull back. "You speak of old grudges while a sword hangs over all our heads. You are so caught up by the bad things of the past that you can't see the terrible future ahead."

She turned her attention to the holographic portal, her eyes finding Jonah's.

"I have met this Weaver," she said. "I have spoken with him. His power is not the violent force of your nation's serum," she said to her own people. "It is something different. Something balanced. I have seen what he can do."

She risked her own honor, her own political future, on her next words.

"He is not the cause of this problem," she declared. "He is our only solution. I vouch for him. I vouch for his team. This is not a Golden Dragon problem. It is a world problem. And we will face it together, or we will all be destroyed by it."

Her bold speech hung in the air. She had challenged one of the most powerful men in her nation. The angry looks on the faces of the Phoenix leaders softened, replaced by a serious, unwilling agreement.

The Headmaster finally spoke, his voice calm and steady. "The princess is right. We can debate who is to blame after we have saved the world. For now, we are all in this together."

A fragile alliance was formed. It was a partnership born of fear and necessity, a truce held together by the courage of a young princess and the threat of a weapon in the sky.

The meeting ended. The holographic portal closed, leaving the War Room in silence.

The political battle had been won. Barely.

But as the relief went away, a new, even heavier burden landed on Jonah. The leaders had talked. The agreement had been made. But now, all their dreams, all their ideas, all their lives depended on him.

He looked at Vanessa, who gave him a small nod.

The talking was over. Now, they had to design an impossible creature, a Progeny that could fly in the cold, empty void of space.

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