The emergency bells continued to ring.
Their sound rolled through the capital in long, heavy waves, reaching even the deepest parts of the assembly hall.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
The report of the devil attacks had changed everything.
Only moments earlier, the hall had been arguing over whether Lilith could be trusted.
Now, human settlements along the eastern border were under attack.
The irony was almost cruel.
A peace treaty that had taken weeks of arguments to even consider had barely reached the point where it could become reality, and already blood was being spilled again.
Lilith stood quietly in the center of the hall.
Her expression remained calm, but her hands were tightly clenched.
She could feel everyone's eyes on her.
Suspicion.
Fear.
Anger.
Some were looking at her as though she had personally ordered the attack.
Others were watching her with uncertainty, unsure of what to believe.
And a few were simply waiting.
Waiting to see what she would do.
