The air was thick with tension after Gloria's announcement.
As she stepped down from the stage, she felt a strange sense of relief, but the weight of what she had just done lingered in the pit of her stomach.
Eragon met her by the side of the auditorium, his face filled with concern."You did it," he whispered. "Now we have to brace for the storm."But the storm had already begun.
Unbeknownst to Gloria, some students had recorded the entire announcement.
Within minutes, videos of her revelation about supernaturals spread like wildfire across social media.
The footage was posted on various platforms, shared by curious students, and picked up by influencers, conspiracy theorists, and news outlets.
Panic set in quickly.In countries already aware of supernaturals, governments were forced to act.
Diplomatic channels buzzed with activity as officials scrambled to control the narrative. Nations that had secretly been in contact with supernatural communities sent out official statements trying to reassure their citizens that measures had long been in place to ensure safety.
But the cat was out of the bag, and not everyone believed the carefully crafted responses.In the United States, the government hastily arranged a press conference to acknowledge the revelation.
High-ranking officials admitted that, yes, supernaturals had been part of their world for centuries.
They reassured the public that peace treaties had been in place and that most supernaturals posed no threat to human life.
However, their attempts at calming the masses only caused further alarm. People didn't trust the government's reassurances.
If supernaturals had been hidden for so long, what else were they hiding?
In countries that had no prior contact with supernatural beings, chaos reigned. Social media was flooded with rumors, claims of supernatural sightings, and wild theories about ancient secret societies pulling the strings behind the world's governments.
People demanded answers, and the panic spread like a virus.
News anchors struggled to keep up with the unfolding events, reporting on rising protests in major cities.
Governments in Europe, Asia, and Africa worked around the clock to establish contact with supernatural representatives, hoping to avoid a public outcry that could lead to violence.
For the first time, leaders openly discussed the existence of agencies like the European Supernatural Affairs Division and the African Council of Mystics, which had been operating in the shadows for centuries.
These agencies had kept the balance between humans and supernaturals, but now, thrust into the light, their very existence triggered fear and distrust.
People questioned how long they had been surveilled and why they hadn't been told about the supernaturals sooner.Meanwhile, countries without any prior knowledge of supernaturals struggled to maintain control.
In places like South America and the Middle East, governments scrambled to either calm their people or establish contact with supernatural beings.
Some nations set up emergency committees tasked with tracking down suspected supernaturals, which only intensified the panic. In many areas, citizens began forming mobs, hunting for anyone they believed to be "unnatural."
At the same time, certain countries responded more strategically.
Nations like Russia, China, and Japan had already had limited contact with supernaturals, but now, with the global revelation, they moved quickly to establish formal alliances.
Secret diplomatic meetings were held between high-ranking officials and supernatural representatives to ensure peace ,and, in some cases, to bolster their military capabilities with supernatural aid.
Yet amidst all this chaos, there was one organization thrown into even deeper turmoil: The Order of the Veil, a secretive global group tasked with maintaining the barrier between the human and supernatural worlds.
The Order, comprised of both human and supernatural leaders, had operated in the shadows for centuries, ensuring the two worlds never collided.
Now, their greatest failure had been exposed, and their internal ranks were in disarray.
Within the Order, panic spread like wildfire.
The council members, a mix of vampires, fae, warlocks, and humans, argued over how to regain control of the situation.
Some believed they needed to go public themselves, to establish order and position themselves as the official mediators between humans and supernaturals.
Others, more conservative and paranoid, believed they should remain in the shadows, pulling strings behind the scenes to quiet the uproar.
"The world is falling apart!" shouted one vampire councilman. "Our entire operation is collapsing, and it's because of that girl, Gloria."
"She's more than just a girl now," responded a fae elder. "She's the reincarnation of the Moon Wolf Goddess.
Her power alone could either save or destroy us. We need to bring her under our control."
"We can't control her," countered a human agent.
"Not anymore. The world knows, and there's no turning back. The best we can do is try to manage the fallout."
Back in the school, Gloria sat in her room, her heart pounding as she watched the chaos unfold on her phone.
Every news outlet was covering her revelation.
Reporters were stationed outside her school, students were being interviewed, and even her family was being thrust into the spotlight.
The council members, who had once operated behind the scenes, now openly acknowledged her existence as the Moon Wolf Goddess, sparking even more confusion and fear among the general public.
Eragon sat beside her, his face grim as he scrolled through the news on his own phone.
"This is worse than we thought," he muttered.
"They're not just panicking, they're hunting."
Gloria glanced over at him, her guilt weighing heavily on her. "I didn't think it would be this bad. I thought exposing the truth would take the pressure off me, off all of us."
"It was bound to happen eventually," Eragon replied, trying to comfort her. "You just sped up the process."
As they spoke, her phone buzzed with messages from the council.
They were demanding she come forward and help them maintain control.
But Gloria knew that doing so would only make her more of a target.Suddenly, a knock came at the door.
It was Duke, Gloria's brother, his expression stern as he entered the room.
"They're coming," Duke said, his voice low.
"Humans. Government agents. They've tracked the supernatural activity here to the school.
We need to leave, now."Gloria stood, her mind racing. "Leave? Where would we even go?"
"To the council's safe house," Duke responded.
"It's the only place where we'll be safe until this blows over."Eragon nodded.
"He's right. If we stay here, we'll be captured, or worse.
The Order of the Veil is already making moves.
They won't hesitate to eliminate anyone they see as a threat, including you."
Gloria took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the world pressing down on her shoulders. The truth was out, but now the real battle had begun.
With one last glance at the chaos unfolding on the news, Gloria made her decision.
"Let's go," she said. "But this isn't over. We'll find a way to fix this, one way or another."
As they hurried out of the school, blending into the shadows, Gloria couldn't shake the feeling that the storm was only just beginning.
The world had changed, and there was no turning back.