Chapter 244 — Blood Of Children

[Flashback - Eleanor’s Private Quarters]

Eleanor sat in her personal rooms within the ACC headquarters, going through her nightly routine with the kind of automatic precision that came from centuries of habit.

She kept various artifacts from her long career in a secure case – mementos from portal expeditions, items of sentimental value, objects she’d collected over two hundred years of service to humanity.

Among them was a small black cube that she’d found during a portal expedition five years ago.

She’d kept it out of curiosity more than anything else, the spatial properties interesting but seemingly inactive, no threat detected by even the most thorough scans.

Out of habit, she reached for it, intending to examine it as always.

But... the moment her fingers touched the cube’s surface, her eyes flashed.

The kind, grandmotherly expression that defined her public persona vanished, replaced by complete blankness – not unconsciousness, but something worse.

Emptiness!

A voice emerged in her mind, not speaking words but reading her memories directly, sifting through her recent memories with casual ease, as if it had been done many times before.

"So... this year’s tournament has already arrived."

The voice carried amusement mixed with clinical interest, like a scientist examining an interesting specimen.

"And look what we’ve found. That little genius Seraphina Vale is present here as well. Interesting. Very interesting."

Eleanor’s body remained perfectly still, her mind completely overridden, her consciousness pushed aside as something else examined her memories and planned through her thoughts.

"My Law of Possession has made some progress as well. No need to waste more time developing this particular subject. What fortunate timing."

The entity controlling her paused, considering options with the kind of detached calculation that came from viewing individual lives as nothing more than resources to be utilized.

"Let’s test this artifact’s capabilities. Will it really be able to create a portal to connect with those coordinates? For years, I’ve grown my special creature at these exact coordinates... Now, let’s see if it can carve open another pathway for us to invade this world.

And while we’re at it, let’s make this chess piece’s Aura core volatile to eliminate that troublesome girl before she becomes a genuine threat."

Another pause, this one carrying satisfaction.

"A good experiment with minimal risk. Though I will miss observing human society – such fascinating creatures, always fighting amongst themselves even when facing extinction."

A sound that might have been laughter if it had come from something human.

"You know what? I’ll just possess another human’s soul afterward. There are so many to choose from, and they’re so easy to manipulate. This will be entertaining."

The voice faded, but the possession remained, Eleanor’s consciousness buried so deep she couldn’t even scream or fight back.

She would remain a puppet until the moment of her death, used and discarded by something that viewed humanity as nothing more than toys.

****

[Federation-Wide - Evening - Eight Hours After the Attack]

Every screen across the entire Federation showed the same image.

The Chairman of the Federation Government standing before a podium, his middle-aged face showing the weight of leadership during humanity’s darkest hours, his bearing radiating authority that made even watching through screens feel like being in the presence of something greater than human.

Behind him, the partially destroyed ACC Stadium was visible through windows, a constant reminder of the devastation.

Click! Click! Click!

The clicking sounds of cameras filled the room as every major news organization in the world focused their attention on this single moment.

When he began speaking, his voice carried to every corner of human civilization, transmitted through emergency broadcast systems that overrode all other programming.

"..."

Silence fell across the Federation – in homes, in public squares, in emergency shelters and in military bases.

Everyone stopped what they were doing to listen.

"ACC President Eleanor was possessed," he began without preamble and without softening the truth, his voice carrying absolute certainty. "She was controlled by a very high-rank unknown Monster using an artifact she discovered during a portal expedition years ago and was the cause of all the events that happened today."

The statement sent shockwaves through every listener!

One of humanity’s greatest heroes, one of the strongest S+ rank awakeners who’d survived the initial invasions, compromised and turned into a weapon against her own people.

"That very same artifact represents the greatest threat our world has ever faced."

His voice became harder and more intense.

"For the first time in our history, unlike natural portals that appear randomly, one was deliberately created by our enemies. Created with purpose. Created with malicious intent. Created to strike at our next generation when they were gathered together with no chance to escape!"

He paused, letting that sink in.

"This tells us one fundamental truth that we can no longer ignore: no part of our world is safe. If they can create an artifact like this once, they can create it again. Our homes. Our cities. Our children’s schools... Anywhere could become a battleground without warning."

The fear was palpable, spreading through every viewer, making parents pull children closer, making the elderly remember similar speeches from decades ago.

But the Chairman’s expression shifted, his tone changing from warning to something that carried different weight.

"Over the past few decades, I and every powerhouse of the human race have worked to ensure the Federation enjoyed peaceful lives. We wanted the children of the next generation to grow up without being sent to war the moment they turned fifteen, unlike my own generation which was forced by circumstances."

Old survivors watching felt their hearts clench, remembering.

"My generation was thrown into combat without preparation, without training and without choice. The result was predictable and horrific – most of us perished. We didn’t stand a single chance against Monsters we couldn’t comprehend. But those who survived..."

His voice carried pride mixed with sorrow.

"Those who survived became the backbone of our world. Became the foundation upon which everything you see today was built. Every building, every school, every peaceful day you’ve enjoyed – all of it paid for with the blood of children who never got to grow up."