Shadows in the Hall
Paris, Aura Council Chambers.
The grand hall blazed with aura light, its marble walls etched with the names of wielders long dead. But tonight, it was not reverence that filled the chamber.
It was fear.
---
The Council Gathers
Arashi, the Aura Leader, stood at the center, his long robes fluttering as his aura projected calm authority. Around him, representatives from every nation gathered — some injured, some weary, all carrying the weight of Borivali's destruction.
The news had spread like wildfire: an Upper Demon had been slain.
But instead of triumph, unease clouded the chamber.
A German representative slammed his fist against the table. "Li Wei overstepped! He risked his life and an entire city to fight alone. What if he had failed?"
A Brazilian elder snapped back, "And what if he hadn't fought? Kaalrath would have burned Mumbai to ash! He did what none of us dared!"
"Enough!" Arashi's voice cracked like thunder. The chamber stilled, but the tension remained.
---
The Rift
A French delegate spoke softly, her voice trembling. "If what Li Wei said is true… that the demon was once a man, betrayed and broken… then what are we doing? Are we executioners, slaughtering souls who were once like us?"
Silence fell. The question hung heavy.
Finally, a Russian representative growled, "Executioners? No. Survivors. If we hesitate now, the next Upper Demon will awaken. And none of us will live to mourn them."
The hall erupted again — voices colliding, accusations flying. Some demanded immediate strikes across suspected seals. Others argued for restraint. Some whispered doubts about whether Scarlet wielders like Ishita were blessings or curses.
The unity that once held the Council together began to fracture.
---
Li Wei Speaks
From his seat, Li Wei rose slowly. His face was pale, his aura faint, but his eyes carried fire.
"I fought Kaalrath. I saw his soul." His voice echoed, silencing the hall. "He was not born a demon. He was made into one. And if the same is true for the others… then we face not just monsters, but tragedies."
Murmurs rippled through the chamber.
Arashi's gaze sharpened. "Then what do you propose?"
Li Wei's voice was steady. "We fight. But we do not forget. Every strike must be precise. Every death, remembered. Or we risk becoming demons ourselves."
Some heads bowed in respect. Others shook in defiance. The divide deepened.
---
Meanwhile, in India
Far from Paris, Ishita sat cross-legged in a ruined courtyard outside Mumbai, her Scarlet aura flickering around her like restless fire.
Li Wei's voice echoed in her memory: Scarlet consumes. Soul remembers. Only by binding them can you endure.
She exhaled, closing her eyes. Flames lashed, then softened. For a heartbeat, they coiled into wings — steady, protective. Then they shattered again, leaving her gasping.
Rehan watched silently from the shadows. His fists clenched.
He remembered Kaalrath's last words. The cry of a father, not a demon.
If demons were once men… what makes me different from them? What will Ishita become?
The doubt gnawed at him, silent and heavy.
---
The Shadow of Division
Back in Paris, the Council meeting ended without resolution. Alliances cracked. Nations whispered in corners.
As the delegates filed out, Arashi remained still, his gaze fixed on the empty seal map projected before him.
Three seals remained. Three demons yet to awaken.
And now, for the first time, the Aura Wielders were divided.