The great round hall of the International Confederation of Wizards shimmered with suspended lanterns casting soft golden light upon the stone floor etched with the magical seals of every nation present. Above the dais, a floating ring of runes turned slowly, pulsing with old magic as it recognized each delegation.
High chair Tenzin, robed in deep red and gold, stepped forward to the central podium. The hush in the chamber was total every eye turned to him. He raised both hands, and the outer wards of the room hummed in response, sealing the chamber in silence and secrecy.
"Welcome," Tenzin said, his voice strong but calm, "to the 843rd Emergency Summit of the International Confederation of Wizards."
There was no applause.
"We gather not for ceremony. Not for pride. Not even for politics, though I suspect many of us will fall into that habit before the sun sets." A small ripple of humor, quickly swallowed.
"We gather because the world has changed—because it is being unmade." His tone hardened. "Across the globe, entire enclaves have been destroyed. Magical sanctuaries turned to ash. And at the heart of it, something none of us has seen in generations divine and demonic presences, walking our earth, unchecked."
A low murmur rose but died as Tenzin raised a single hand.
"This Summit will not be led by politics, but by survival. And in that spirit, we begin not with diplomats or lords… but with a soldier."
He turned and gestured to the side platform. The crowd parted.
A man stepped forward, broad-shouldered, his deep green cloak stained at the hems with soot and sand. One eye was wrapped in white linen, the other sharp with fire. He climbed the steps and faced the room, fists clenched behind his back.
"Commander Thorne," Tenzin announced. "Lead field officer at the Battle of the Canyon."
Thorne nodded once. His voice was gravel.
"Ten days ago, our combined forces defended what we know as an anchor hidden beneath the Grand Canyon—an anchor to a veil blocking our realm from the interference of the other realms. Our unit consisted of international combat wizards, alchemists, curse-breakers, and healers. We lasted as long as we could, though most of my company was gone by the time the war was over."
Gasps echoed from the assembled delegations.
Thorne continued, his tone harsher now. "The enemy came in waves. The first wave was meant to die to test us. Angels, demons. The second was coordinated. Blinding speed. Magic combined with raw strength and an almost supernatural sense of purpose, they did not fear death . We held them. Barely. And then the entire battlefield exploded. We lost 73% of our forces. The rest were scarred in ways no Healer understands."
He paused.
"And you know what cost us the most?" His good eye swept across the crowd.
"Lack of intel."
There was a stillness now.
"We were told to defend a site of importance. We weren't told the exact location, we weren't told how to make the most effective wards until the war was already happening. We weren't told that if it fell, the canyon would be consumed we only had moments to retreat before it exploded."
He turned sharply, staring directly at one man seated calmly at the outer edge of the delegation circle.
"Morpheus Everglade," Thorne said flatly, "told us to defend the site. But he didn't share where the heart of the anchor was buried. He didn't give us the runic map. He didn't tell us what would happen if it was cracked open."
Gasps and whispers rippled through the room. Some eyes turned to Morpheus. The ruby on his chest flickered beneath his robes, but his face remained unreadable.
"I had to watch comrades get swallowed by the earth because we didn't know what we were standing on," Thorne said through gritted teeth. "We can't win this war with secrets. Not anymore."
He stepped back, nodding once toward Tenzin, who remained expressionless.
"Thank you, Commander Thorne," Tenzin said. He glanced around the room. "The floor is now open."
Instantly, a dozen enchanted quills rose into the air, signaling requests to speak. The murmurs grew louder.
The delegation from Egypt rose first, a severe witch in sand-hued robes speaking in clipped tones.
"If these so-called anchors exist across the globe, we demand to know where the others are. And who else has been kept in the dark."
From the Caribbean Circle, a warlock in robes of sea-foam green stood, arms crossed.
"What else haven't we been told? If we're risking our lives, we deserve to know what we're dying for."
A witch from the Australian Outback, her hair braided with silver serpent charms, shook her head, "We're not going to die in a mad man's war without full transparency. Not again."
Tenzin's voice rose once more. "Order. Order, please."
He looked toward Morpheus.
"Lord Everglade," he said with steel beneath his calm voice, "would you care to respond?"
All eyes turned.
And the room held its breath.
Morpheus rose slowly, his long black coat sweeping behind him as the stone circle of the chamber seemed to hush in anticipation. The ruby embedded in his chest gave a subtle pulse just once like a heartbeat that didn't belong to him.
His eyes, pale and unreadable, scanned the room as though weighing each person in it. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet but carried like smoke on the wind, curling through the chamber.
"You want me to respond?" he said, arching a brow. "Fine. Let's begin with the obvious."
He stepped forward once, hands folded behind his back.
"I have told Tenzin where the anchors are, have I said the exact location? No, and I will not give the exact location. You speak of lack of information but you do not know why I am not sharing." He swept his gaze across the gathered delegates. "You called mad, to me you are all the mad ones."
There was an uncomfortable rustling among the delegations.
"And now you want me to hand over the coordinates of every anchor, the very thing holding most of their armies back?" He let the question hang. "To people who barely believed in them? To people who are easily corrupted to join the very enemies that seek to destroy them?"
He tilted his head.
"Commander Thorne," he said, looking at the wounded man. "You have my respect for standing your ground when the skies turned black. But do not mistake your courage for entitlement. I have spent decades fighting this war, I have lost more than you could possibly imagine. The canyon was lost because once again, humanity has proven they will betray their people for just a little ounce of power. A fake promise of salvation." he scoffed
He turned to the Egyptian delegate, then to the Caribbean warlock, each with a slow, deliberate look.
"What do you mean Morpheus? How did we get betrayed? What is the truth behind the canyon being destroyed! This should have been brought up immediately after the battle!" Tenzin demanded
Many murmured in agreement
A smirk spread across Morpheus's lips, "I will show you, all of you. And then you will finally understand why I hesitate to share the information I keep."
Without waiting for permission, Morpheus began to walk slowly, calmly toward the center of the chamber.
The floor beneath him pulsed once in recognition as if the very stones knew his name.
His final words rang out across the summit like a challenge:
"You want the truth?" he said pulling a small artifact from his robe
And with that, he reached the center.
"When I started my position as divination professor at Hogwarts the same year a student fell dangerously ill. The professors couldn't find out what it was but I could smell the stench of demonic magic on him. He was attacked by a demon which should have been impossible for a number of reasons but the main one was I couldn't sense one in the castle, and most of all a demon is rather striking in appearance quite the challenge to miss." Morpheus spoke as he turned his body making sure he was facing everyone
The artifact pulsed once in his palm.
"That's when I noticed another student, he was quiet, his name was Marcus. The second I saw him I knew he was no longer human. He stunk of demonic magic, but he talked like a human, moved like a human, and even used magic like a human." the group was beginning to feel uneasy
Then again the artifact pulsed.
"I knew then something horrible has happened, the demons had improved their magic. This was something new, something I'd never seen before. So I learned and found the truth, the demons developed a way to make contact from the veil and convince humans to make a pact of power. The fools don't even realize they are signing away their humanity, to be a shell of meat for a demon."
And on the third pulse—it screamed.
A shrill, otherworldly wail not heard by the ears but felt in the bones. A primal sound that raked its way through the magical signatures of everyone present.
And then… it pointed.
The artifact hovered gently in Morpheus's hand, then veered sharply dragging his arm with it toward a corner of the chamber. The glow around it deepened to a violent, blood-soaked red as its tip aligned with a delegate.
A man from the Baltic Confederacy, Ambassador Havel Marek simply froze.
His eyes locked with Morpheus's.
And then he screamed.
Not in pain, but rage. His voice dropped two octaves in an instant as black veins surged across his neck, crawling like oil beneath skin. Magic around him shattered as the air became thick with bloodlust. His lips moved—but it wasn't his voice that spoke.
"Fool." It was inhuman, guttural. "You think exposing me will save you pitiful creatures?"
Morpheus did not flinch.
The possessed man rose into the air, robes whipping around him as the thing inside tried to claw its way free.
Chairs were knocked back. Wands were drawn. Protective wards snapped into place, surrounding half the room in chaotic sigils.
Morpheus was faster his arm raced out and a dagger sliced cleanly through the still transforming demons neck severing its head.
Morpheus tucked the artifact back into his robe, as though the moment had passed.
He turned slowly to face the crowd once more.
"Now you understand," he said coolly. "This war is not just outside our walls. It is already among us."
A breathless hush filled the summit chamber.
—
A/N: fun fact when you reach the next battle and it will be soon it is extremely long. Hopefully dark and realistic. I think it's much better than the canyon