Chapter 586 The War Begins
Back on Earth...
The atmosphere inside the underground command room was so heavy that even breathing felt difficult. A large circular table occupied the center of the room, its surface almost completely hidden beneath maps, intelligence reports, satellite photographs, and handwritten notes gathered over the past three relentless months. Every face surrounding it carried the same expression—fatigue mixed with unwavering determination.
Lana stood with both palms resting firmly against the table, her emerald eyes fixed on the massive map spread before them. Beside her stood Dickson, his arms folded tightly across his chest, the usual playful grin long gone from his face. Danill remained unusually quiet, studying every marked location on the map while silently calculating possible responses. Across from them were two respected elders of the werewolf clans, both carrying decades of battlefield experience on their shoulders. Lilith stood near the opposite end of the table, dressed in black as always, her cold golden eyes betraying nothing despite the countless sleepless nights she had endured. Sergei and Mikhail stood beside her.
Only one message mattered now.
War.
It had been exactly three months since Liam, Irina, Tatiana, Agatha and the others disappeared into the portal.
Three long months.
Not a single message.
Not a single trace.
Nothing.
None of them knew whether they were still alive, whether they had found a way home, or whether they had already fallen somewhere beyond that mysterious world. The uncertainty hurt more than anyone dared admit aloud, yet none of them allowed themselves the luxury of dwelling on it. Before leaving, Liam and Irina had entrusted them with one final responsibility. No matter what happened, they were to continue fighting together. If they returned, they would return to a world worth saving. If they never came back... then those left behind would continue protecting humanity until their final breath.
That promise had become everyone’s reason to keep moving.
The last three months had turned the world upside down.
Everything changed.
The fragile balance that had existed between humans and the supernatural races shattered almost overnight. The vampires, the Ravens, and what remained of the Crimson Hand had completely abandoned every trace of secrecy. They no longer hid in the darkness or manipulated events from the shadows. Instead, they declared war openly.
Cities burned.
Entire districts vanished.
Highways became battlefields.
The first coordinated assault happened in broad daylight, when countless vampires descended upon the city without warning. Civilians who had simply been on their way to work or school suddenly found themselves trapped in the middle of a massacre. Buildings collapsed, vehicles exploded, and streets that once bustled with life became rivers of panic and bloodshed. By the time the attack finally ended, more than five thousand innocent people had lost their lives.
The world never recovered from that day.
Every government immediately declared a global state of emergency. Military forces that once denied the existence of supernatural beings were now fighting them in the open, while every news station broadcast footage that humanity had spent centuries dismissing as myths. There was no hiding the truth anymore. Monsters existed, and they were no longer content living in the shadows.
Fortunately, humanity had not stood alone.
The werewolves had stepped forward without hesitation.
Entire packs crossed national borders to reinforce military defenses, and countless soldiers who had once feared them now fought shoulder to shoulder beside them. Together they managed to halt the vampire advance during those first devastating weeks, preventing entire nations from falling under their assault. Soon afterward, witches around the world abandoned their isolation as well. Ancient covens that had remained hidden for centuries emerged one after another, agreeing upon something unprecedented.
An alliance.
For the first time in recorded history, humans, werewolves, and witches fought beneath the same banner.
Yet despite every victory they managed to achieve, one terrifying mystery continued haunting every strategy meeting.
Why?
Why had the vampires suddenly begun exterminating everything in sight?
Nothing made sense.
This wasn’t conquest.
It wasn’t revenge.
It wasn’t even political.
It resembled madness.
Entire vampire clans willingly sacrificed themselves in suicidal attacks that accomplished nothing strategically. Some slaughtered civilians without feeding on them. Others destroyed their own territories before retreating. Every captured vampire behaved the same way, their minds clouded by an almost fanatical obsession with destruction. It was as though someone—or something—had reached into their minds and erased whatever humanity remained inside them.
Lana and everyone gathered around the table had spent countless nights chasing every possible explanation. They interrogated survivors, investigated ancient records, questioned witches older than some civilizations, and even examined vampire history dating back centuries.
Every lead ended the same way.
Nothing.
No prophecy.
No disease.
No curse.
No explanation.
The truth remained buried somewhere beyond their reach, and with every passing day more people paid the price for that ignorance.
Silence filled the command room once again until space beside the table suddenly distorted.
A sharp ripple spread through the air.
Blue light flashed for only a split second before Vanessa materialized in the middle of the room, already holding several folders beneath one arm. She barely gave herself enough time to catch her breath before walking directly toward the map.
"Okay," she said firmly, immediately drawing everyone’s attention. "We’ve got everything we need."
She spread several newly printed reconnaissance photographs across the table before extending a finger toward a location near the northern edge of the map.
"The vampires have launched another offensive."
Her fingertip pressed against a heavily fortified position marked with a red circle.
"They’re attacking this bunker."
The atmosphere instantly became even colder.
Every single person around the table understood the implications without needing further explanation.
A bunker wasn’t merely another military installation.
Thousands of civilians were sheltered beneath those reinforced underground facilities. Children. Elderly people. Families who had already lost everything above ground. They represented humanity’s last safe havens, and if even one bunker fell, the death toll would be catastrophic.
Vanessa looked around at everyone before continuing.
"The military contacted us five minutes ago. Their frontline units are already engaged, but intelligence estimates they won’t be able to hold much longer."
She straightened, determination hardening her expression.
"If we mobilize immediately..."
Her eyes swept across the room, meeting every pair of determined eyes one after another.
"...we’ll reach the battlefield just in time to reinforce them."