Kylie had captivated the boisterous crowd, their fervor swelling into a nationalistic frenzy. While most public relations students would be content with such enraptured faces, the wavy-haired brunette was aware of the imminent storm.
Her gaze steely, Kylie continued, "But there's more. Immortal Skye has also managed to secure some of your family members."
The announcement hit the Immortals like a hammer, cracking the glass house of enthusiasm they had built. Everything they once knew—friends, family, and futures—had vanished, replaced by an ever-present struggle against harsh reality.
Many wished the families had remained dead. After finding peace after their loss, the announcement threatened to rip open the wounds and leave them the only ones without a family.
"Before I reveal who, let me explain how," Kylie began. "At the dawn of the apocalypse, Emperor Lexicon exchanged cultivation techniques with General Payton to locate your family members."
A tide of conflicting emotions washed over the group as they learned Immortal Skye had information about their families from the start.
"The apocalypse was underway, so naturally, many died from Qi sickness or got lost," Kylie explained. "However, we found many, and Emperor Lexicon provided cultivation techniques and military protection for them."
Excitement clashed with shock and anger, and the previously-festive atmosphere gave way to a maelstrom of emotion.
"YOU'VE KNOWN!?" a blonde snarled. "You're talking about a month and a half of knowing where our families were!?"
Her vitriolic accusation reframed the narrative instantly, reversing many's opinions on the subject amid the confusion.
"Wait, that's right!"
"How long have you known?"
"Why aren't they here!?"
"What happened after Malta attacked us!?"
"WHAT HAPPENED!?"
Kylie locked eyes with Kaze in the distance, ready to use Forced Tranquility if needed. But she refused to rely on his intervention, determined to prove worthy of his love and support.
She refused to let Kiera Snow be the only one to declare her love.
Kylie had been learning from the fiery teen.
Kiera was sensitive. Reactive. Bad with people. However, if Kaze was in trouble, she'd brute-force her way through the situation, and people would shut the fuck up whether they wanted to or not.
Kylie Shultz was collected and had good social skills—
"LISTEN TO ME!" the brunette shouted, waving her hand to the sky. The atmosphere warped above them, turning icy and white.
—she could do at least that much.
BOOOOOOOOM!
A traumatic shockwave crashed over the group, forcing people to suffocate in silence, awaiting the PR director's words.
"Due to the sensitive nature of this topic, I'll address the main point first: why didn't we bring the family members to Immortal Skye immediately?" Kylie posed calmly. "Think about your situation here."
She presented Immortal Skye with her hand, panning it across the half dome behind them. Many turned around or closed their eyes, conditioned to following directions.
"Despite our wealth, we have ten people sharing a room and we're surviving on soul meat because supplies are low," Kylie reminded. "We've faced zombie attacks, cultivator massacres, and ballistic missile bombardments from the military. We may be the future of civilization, but right now we're living in hotels during the apocalypse."
Her words reframed Immortal Skye's achievements and shattered the Immortals' sense of well-being, leaving them grappling with her challenging words.
"So let me ask you, how could we manage with twice as many people?" Kylie narrowed her eyes, sending spider cracks of perplexion through the crowd.
"Starving with them is still better than leaving them with soldiers!" a man protested tearfully, giving words to the Immortals' resentment.
pαпdα`noνɐ1`сoМ "Is it?" Kylie challenged, shocking the crowd. "The Maltian Military required soldiers to protect their families around the clock with full food and board because they relied upon Emperor Lexicon's techniques. People are easy to trust people to protect someone when their lives depend on it."
The man opened his mouth to retort, but she continued.
"What about here? You would have trusted your little sister with anyone during the announcement hysteria?" Kylie challenged. "When everyone was weak, working, and feeling they may die without having sex? I sure as hell wouldn't have."
Gasps spread through the crowd when the brunette carved disturbing images into their minds about Immortal Skye, threatening to sow seeds of distrust through them.
"Or are you thinking it would be fine because Emperor Lexicon would protect them?" she asked with narrowed eyes. "You think he hasn't done enough by feeding, housing, training, providing, and protecting you and should have also protected your family as well?"
Everyone shut down; no one dared to say that Kaze hadn't done enough for them.
"Do not forget our situation," Kylie declared. "It's the apocalypse: we should be barbarians I wouldn't trust today. However, we now stand as the cornerstone of civilization in a country stronger, wealthier, and more civilized in than Malta ever was."
The brunette panned everyones' faces. "That's all thanks to Emperor Lexicon and General Skye. After all, they've given you, do you think they'd just abandon your family and let them suffer?"
A bolt of guilt pierced the Immortals' hearts, transposing the last feelings of bitterness and resentment into shame and ruefulness.
"Emperor Lexicon made a deal to ensure your families could eat and were protected around the clock as we stabilized politically," Kylie claimed. "Thanks to his efforts, we managed to locate and protect many without a single assault or battery."
Her words bolted through the group like lightning, making everyone's bodies spasm in astonishment.
"They should all be alive right now—but General Payton betrayed us." she declared, her tone bold and chilling.
The Immortals' developed a pit in their stomachs after being reminded of the bombing. In an instant, their animosity, anger, acrimony, antipathy, and accusations that they held toward Immortal Skye transferred to a single person: General Payton.
"You heard correct!" the brunette seethed, trembling with anger. "We later learned that he seized your families as hostages to force us into the military and Emperor Lexicon to house corrupt politicians and elites instead of you! But even that was a ruse!"
Instant rage pulsed through the crowd, oozing bloodlust from their pours. The atmosphere became chilling, vibrating with trembling anger.
"We know because after he tried to seize Immortal Skye; after his operation failed and he bombed his soldiers trying to massacre us; and after he lost to our hands—he ordered a massacre on his own soldiers' families to cut costs," Kylie explained rhythmically.
The Immortals' and ex-military soldiers' rage became white hot, turning to molten ore, ready for her word smithing to strike and form.
"General Skye immediately contacted General Payton after their bombing—do you want to know what she said?" Kylie mused.
"YES!"
"TELL US!"
"WHAT DID SHE DO!?"
The crowd rioted, each demanding instant retribution and hatred.
"General Skye declared that she'd reap the lives of two soldiers for every family member killed," Kylie recounted, her tone raw and chilling. "She'd start with the guilty, but kill two regardless—whether they were guilty or not."
"YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
As if ignited, the bloodlust in the atmosphere exploded in a deafening roar threatening to swallow everyone's sanity whole.
"We're not uncivilized murderers at Immortal Skye—but we do not forgive transgressions against our loved ones," Kylie declared. "Knowing he'd die, General Payton attempted to flee and tried massacring our families out of spite."
She revealed that General Payton, knowing he would die, attempted to flee and massacred their families out of spite. The Immortals were left in an earsplitting silence, their breaths and sense of well-being stolen away, and their hearts pounding with ache and prayer for resolution.
"But most Maltian soldiers followed in the honorable footsteps of Sandra, Aaron, and the rest of our military brethren—and protected them from General Payton and the loyalists he bribed with special 'privileges!'" Kylie declared.
The atmosphere was charged with tension as Kylie trembled with hellfire and wrath for the man, baring her teeth red-faced.
"So when General Skye left with fifty ex-military Immortals ready to reap vengeance for our people," she swallowed, baring her teeth red-faced. "The soldiers led Ice General Skye to Payton and evil actors so she could exact swift and merciless retribution!"
Explosive battle cries returned, cutting through the sky and sending a threat to the world itself.
"In the end, we lost ten percent of the family members," Kylie whispered, creating a crushing atmosphere after the energy. "However, Emperor Lexicon, General Skye, and the good Lainwright soldiers located, secured, and protected 1,964 family members."
Kylie looked up with a bright smile, highlighted by tears. "Immortals and ex-military; thanks to them, 1,964 of your families are coming home."
After seeing her face and choked response, tears streamed down the Immortals' cheeks involuntarily, blurring their vision with tears. Time threatened to stand still in the emotional paradox twisting through their hearts, but it sped up when the elites passed out sheets with almost two thousand names listed in four columns.
While many had lost all their family, most Immortals found at least one of their family members on the sheet and screamed with overwhelming tears, bleeding the ink on the page with their flowing tears. Many hugged or comforted one another in an emotional atmosphere tugging everyone's heartstrings.
Kaze watched with a mysterious smile, moved by his partner's emotionally twisting masterpiece that skillfully shifted resentment away from Immortal Skye and onto General Payton without building general hatred for the Lainwright soldiers. It was time to merge the two forces and prepare for their showdown with the Killian military.
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