Location: Avalon Elite Academy – Private War Room, 10:17 AM
The war room had never been used.
Until now.
Vaulted ceilings. Thick steel walls. Black glass windows that dimmed automatically. A massive obsidian table sat in the center, surrounded by silent, waiting chairs.
Now, they were full.
Caelan, Azra, Liora—still bandaged, eyes focused.
Noah, Selene, Zaria, Isla, Jace—tense, wounded, loyal.
Cassiel, Vivienne, Lucian, Kai, Nyra, Rowan—watchful, cautious, uneasy.
And standing at the head of the room…
Damon Vale.
No longer just a father.
No longer just a name.
But Phantom.
Scene: The Silence Before the Storm
He didn't speak immediately.
He walked.
Slowly. Deliberately.
Past each face. Past each wound. Past the still-healing flesh of his daughters. The bruised ribs of his son. The bandaged arms of his allies.
Each step echoed like thunder.
Then he stopped.
He turned.
And when he looked up… the air changed.
Scene: The Speech
Damon (voice low, lethal):
"They touched my children."
"They bled my blood. They hurt my people."
"And they think the world won't remember who I am."
Pause.
"They must've forgotten."
His voice rose—cold, slow, cutting.
"I built this world in shadow and steel. In blood and empire."
"I own the alleys and the boardrooms. The crowns and the coffins."
"And now they challenge me?"
He slammed his hand on the table. The lights flickered. The walls shook.
"They will bleed."
"They will beg for mercy. For hell. For death."
"And their fate will be worse."
His aura exploded—black fire coiling around him like the smoke of a falling god.
"The heavens will bleed before I let this go unanswered."
He stepped forward.
Face to face with everyone.
Eyes like molten gold and crimson flame.
"Mark it. Write it in your soul. Etch it into the bones of this world."
"My name…"
He raised both arms wide—voice a roar across the realms.
"IS DAMON. PHANTOM. VALE."
"AND I HAVE RETURNED FOR BLOOD."
Final Scene: The World Holds Its Breath
No one moved.
No one breathed.
The vampires bowed their heads.
The werewolves growled in reverence.
And the Vales?
They rose.
Their eyes sharp.
Their pain burned away by purpose.