POV of Lord Wrey: 

It had been a mere three days since Aerodom was attacked. Despite our call to action in such urgency, the last few days have felt like years. Our times of peace have finally come to an end. Our people have begun to worry and fill with doubt. Truly, they have never felt such devastation unlike those of our kind who lived thousands of years ago. 

Although our intruders had managed to escape without taking anything valuable, they had caused plenty of damage to the northern region of Aerodom. As for their intentions, we will never know. With the barrier being down, we are left even more vulnerable than before, making another attack more plausible. 

With that information being previously discussed among the council, we decided to address the people of Aerodom as we had no choice but to move forward. 

Leading the way, I opened my hand and allowed my mana to channel into it before clutching my fist. Amplifying my voice, I was able to speak to the whole kingdom as a holographic image visible in various areas. 

“Dear Aerodom,” I began. “This is Lord Wrey of the ruling council. Since the attack on Aerodom, I’ve had time to ponder...” I could feel an imminent anger lurking under a sudden rush of passion and determination. “We’ve been growing weak... dwelling in the times of peace, we have crumbled. 

Opening up my hand, a holographic overview of the kingdom manifested. The kingdom collapsed as its interior structure crumbled. “To keep outsiders away, we had put up a magical barrier in which our kingdom had been protected for centuries.” Images of fairies pouring their mana over the kingdom appeared. “Unfortunately, as a result of the attack on Sunday, our barrier has suffered sufficient damage and cannot offer the same fortification as it used to.” 

Suddenly the barrier disintegrated. 

“With our barrier having fallen, we were left vulnerable to a surprise attack by a trio of humans. Whether they are associated with any of the human kingdoms or not is unknown, but one thing is for certain... we will not let this stand! Hear me, Aerodom, when I say we will retaliate. We will strengthen our weakened kingdom and bring these invaders along with all of their associates to justice!” 

The holographic connection ended as my last couple of words lingered in the air. A brief moment of silence followed as the rest of the council allowed me to settle down. 

“Now that matters have been addressed,” Lady Visu spoke, “I think it’s time to discuss our next plan of operations.” 

“Of course,” Lord Vinzel agreed. His face bore a charismatic smile as if the issue was unimportant or better yet, as if he possessed an unwavering confidence. 

 “I believe we should start on the topic of Ares Pride—” 

“Don’t you dare mention the name of that disgusting human again!” I commanded between my teeth. “We know far too little about everything going on,” I said pacing back and forth. “For centuries, we had peace...” I could feel my voice wavering with an underlying tone of anger. “And then, he showed up. Years later and we’re attacked by a bunch of humans—” 

“We don’t even know if he’s associated with them,” Lord Vinzel stated. 

“While that’s true,” Lady Visu agreed, “he did extend damages and endanger everyone else further when he lost control.” 

“I suppose that is too great a liability for a guardian,” Lord Vinzel yawned. 

“I do feel rather harsh for banishing him so quickly.” 

“Enough already!” I said as I slammed my fist into the table before us. “Whether or not he’s related to the issue is irrelevant for the time being. We should be more focused on the issue at hand. We’re down two guardians, our barrier is severely weakened, hundreds of lives have been lost, and we have no idea when the next attack will be or why we were even attacked.”