CHAPTER 59: EMERGENCY RECALL

[Monster Academy— The Council Room]

The Council Chamber of Monster Academy was never meant to feel emotions, and yet tonight, beneath the towering pillars and the carved sigils of ancient realms, the room carried a pressure that narrowed the air and silenced thought.

The long crescent table sat beneath hovering crystals that glowed faintly with stored celestial and infernal energy— light and darkness bound together in uneasy truce.

Six chairs were arranged around the table, though only five were occupied by visible people.

Councilor Marcellus stood at the head— not by position, but by presence. His aura flowed with quiet authority and age, threaded with the faint glow of celestial fire. His hair framed, stern eyes that had seen centuries of war— and were watching now with deep and unsettled concern.

"This meeting," he began, his voice cutting through the chamber, "is not one I intended to call without extended notice. Yet circumstances have forced my hand. Our students...those currently stationed in Euphoria, remain unaccounted for. The silence has stretched too long. I believe they must be recalled at once."

Lady Selene shifted slightly in her seat beside him, hands folded neatly over her scroll. Her luminous eyes flickered with contained worry. "I concur. We were supposed to receive a status update from Darren and Camila days ago. Still nothing... not even a messenger seal. Euphoria is not a vacation retreat...it’s a realm layered with unpredictable anomalies. We should have heard something by now."

Lord Kael leaned back in his obsidian chair, elegant and composed, his dark armor trimmed in silver. Where Selene’s beauty was divine, his was dangerous— a strategist disguised as nobility. His eyes narrowed just a fraction.

"Is it truly necessary to escalate so quickly over a simple delay?" Kael asked calmly. "We’ve been sending students on external trips for as long as I can remember. This is an academy. Camila is capable, and Darren is with her. The academy sent a full team of guardians with the students...They are hardly without protection. I think Marcellus is just paranoid... or perhaps age is finally catching up with him. Some things are simply beyond you."

Lady Avern crossed one leg over the other, her cloak falling like spilled wine. With a slight smile, she tapped a black-tipped finger on the table.

"I agree with Kael," she said lightly. "Delays happen. Euphoria distorts communication magic...it’s practically famous for it. If Darren or Camila hasn’t sent a report, there could be a hundred other reasons as to why...."

Marcellus’s gaze hardened. "This is not paranoia. I am the eldest Council Member of this academy, and I sense movement. I sense a shift. Something wrong is unfolding... and if we wait for proof, it may already be too late."

Lady Avern arched a brow. "You speak of sensing something...but what is it exactly you claim to feel? A presence? A threat?... Or only fear?"

Marcellus didn’t flinch. "I feel a dark energy."

The chamber grew still.

Selene turned sharply. Kael’s posture changed— ever so slightly. Even Lady Avern’s smile dimmed.

"That," Marcellus continued, "is what you’re failing to understand. Venom is not a rumor lurking in shadows. He has power... power that grows each day he remains unchallenged. The last time he moved against us, the realms fell deeply into open war. Do I need to remind you all how that ended?"

"No one forgets Venom," Kael replied. "Nor his ambition. But what makes you believe he is involved in this?"

"Because I can feel him, Kael... I know this," Marcellus said. "He doesn’t strike by force alone...he twists situations until his enemies are blind. Silence is a trap in his world, and uncertainty is his hunting ground."

Avern leaned forward, expression thoughtful now rather than mocking. "You’re suggesting Venom intentionally interfered with communications to isolate the academy’s training in Euphoria?"

"I am saying..." Marcellus replied, "...that the students of the realms are gathered in one vulnerable location... and Venom knows it. It is known that he already has eyes and ears within the walls of this school." He took a steady glance at Kael. "Some of those eyes and ears might even be among us...in this very room."

The council members exchanged quick, uneasy glances at each other, murmuring softly.

"Are you trying to insinuate something, Marcellus?" Kael asked, slightly frustrated but masking it behind a faint smile.

"You tell me, Kael. Where were you last night?" Marcellus asked.

"And why should I tell you my whereabouts?"

"Marcellus, what is this all about?" Lady Avern interjected sharply.

"Everyone is a threat until we find whoever feeds Venom the information he knows. No one is free," Marcellus said evenly.

Kael’s tone turned cold. "I am not as evil as you think, old man. I have principles. And I won’t betray the very hands that fed me. If you must know where I was last night...the student’s presidential elections are coming up in a few months, and as always, someone has to make preparations." He paused, letting the words hang. "Marcellus, you need to put all that energy into a much bigger threat...Venom, not me."

"I believe Kael," Avern declared. "Marcellus, we have a much bigger fish to fry. Suspecting council members will do you no favors in bringing Venom down. Kael has been a council member for over thirty years since the founding of this academy. What makes you think he’d choose to betray the realm now, of all times?"

Silence followed....

Then Marcellus cleared his throat. "Uhm...Uhm..., Perhaps the council misinterpreted my words. In that case, I must apologize...to you, Kael, and to everyone who felt triggered. What I’m trying to say is that Venom knows something, and for the protection of everyone, we need to call off the excursion."

Kael clasped his hands calmly. "Even if that were true, we have no evidence. Acting on speculation may trigger panic."

"This is not speculation," Marcellus said, his voice dropping: slow and severe. "Feel it. All of you. Reach beyond the veil... into the breach between realms. Something is moving. And if we refuse to act because of politics or pride, we will be remembered as cowards who let children die."

The room was silent.

Then, Selene stood. "I stand with Marcellus. Even if we are wrong, sending for a status return harms no one. A recall is within protocol if a potential threat to the academy is detected."

Avern sighed. "But it will undermine Camila’s mission... and your vote alone doesn’t secure a verdict."

Kael nodded. "And recall means pulling every student out with no warning. It will spread suspicion perhaps rumors among the realms."

Marcellus stepped forward. "Then let the responsibility fall on me."

Kael frowned. "Meaning?"

"I invoke my right..."

Marcellus said, his voice echoing lightly with power, "...As First Council Member and oldest in rank. In matters where student safety has been compromised, I am authorized to issue an emergency directive."

Avern’s eyes flashed. "That clause hasn’t been used in over a decade."

"Because it has not needed to be used," Marcellus answered sharply. "Until now."

He laid his palm flat over the central seal on the council table. Light sprang from his touch— white and gold, fierce but controlled.

"By the authority granted to me under Article Thirteen of the Alliance Accord, powered by the Book of Hope," he declared, "I issue an Emergency Recall Protocol. All students in Euphoria are to be returned immediately to Monster Academy under official escort. Camila and Darren will report to this council upon arrival."

The room pulsed as the seal activated, binding the order in ancient magic. No one moved. No one argued. Not even Kael.

"So it is done," Selene said quietly.

Lady Avern lifted her chin. "I hope you are prepared for the storm this may cause."

Marcellus looked at her. "I am prepared for the storm that will come if I do nothing."

The great council doors opened slowly, signaling adjournment. The empty seat glowed in approval. And far beyond the walls of Council room of Monster Academy...someone else heard the recall order—

—and smiled.