“My name is Eric Kingston, I’m an employee with the Wardens, and I worked directly under and with Cinereal. I need to go over some of the recent events, let you know what’s happened with the cracking, and equip you with the knowledge for what comes next. I need all of you to let me go over this before any outcry, upset, or questions. No interruptions, please keep the noise down.”

Presley looked for her mom and dad. She saw a face that might have been her mom’s in the stairwell.

“First of all, the Sleeper is retreating. He is not an immediate danger, and we will let you know as soon as we can, if that changes.”

His request for silence after his statements might have been futile. Murmurs rose to a volume, people talking over other people, to the point he didn’t seem like he could talk.

“That’s good news,” Caden said, his voice joining the babble. Presley pressed a finger to her lips.

At the other end of the room, someone rapped something hard against the cases. Mr. Kingston looked a little alarmed at first, but the effect did bring some silence.

“The Sleeper was lured to the city specifically to slow down the Titans and was used to trap the Simurgh. Some of our best minds and strategists are confident the Simurgh is dealt with.”

The noise was much louder this time, but the rapping against the plastic cases immediately cut it off.

“That’s the good news. The bad news is the red glow you’ve no doubt noticed. We’ve settled on a plan for dealing with it. Earlier tonight the Wardens put out a blanket request for aid in descending into those cracks and doing strategic damage to what lies beneath, the core of powers—”

Voices were raised, this time they were questions.

She had questions too. He’d jumped straight to saying there were answers without explaining what the glow was.

The rapping grew louder and drawn out, while Mr. Kingston stood atop the stack of plastic crates, mouth shut, waiting.

Eventually people shut up.

“The powers are rooted in another, malign force—”

“Scion!” someone exclaimed, loud.

“—We thought we dealt with it when we dealt with Scion, but the boulder he set in motion is still rolling downhill and has been for the last two years. What you’re seeing is the end effect. We do have a plan to deal with it, but this is serious. That red glow… left unchecked, this Earth and every other Earth, including the ones we know about and the ones we don’t, will be wiped out.”

The noise this time was inevitable. Shouts, exclamations, cries of fear.

Presley looked down at the photo.

“We do have a plan!” Mr. Kingston called out. “We do have a plan! Please! Listen! The hill—”

He seemed to give up at that. Waiting, hanging his head.