'This is unprecedented,' the ARC agent began as soon as he stepped onto the podium at the front of the room. The guy was the sort you'd lose sight of in a crowd as soon as you took your eyes off him. I guess it was useful for infiltration. 'Not in scale, if you will excuse the pun, but in nature. Never before has such a widespread, yet oddly concentrated disaster appeared in our world.'

Nothing we didn't know, so far. Was this just a confirmation? Things still suck, please keep calm while we attempt to wrap up this mess?

Well...it wasn't like there was much I could do to help, really. For all my power, I had neither the training nor the authority to use it.

'We will provide updates whenever possible,' the agent continued, a section of the wall behind him sliding away to reveal a screen the size of a football field. The agent tried to smile reassuringly, but he didn't have the face for it. 'You will be pleased to learn the situation in our country has stabilised! Most rogue zmei have allowed themselves to be restrained and taken into Antichambers, or were transported there after being neutralised.'

Let's not talk about the ones who couldn't be neutralised, eh? No reason to scare the people more. There were enough nightmares outside without some more becoming real too.

'We must give thanks to Aaron, retired Admiral of the Romanian Navy. The Bronze Boyar, as he is affectionately referred to as by his former subordinates, many of whom he convinced to go along with the...'

And now he was reciting Aaron's service history. Well, at least this way, nobody would get bored or distracted. There were sixty years of stories to tell, and most people loved Aaron, in that distant way you love pulp characters, except you could actually go and meet him, if he wasn't being cantankerous.

I had a feeling the old, grizzled people in the hall who stood at attention, necks stiff, had served under or fought alongside the old zmeu. And the younger ones had grown up with stories of him, like I had.

'Aaron himself is in the Antichamber as well. He agreed to come with us, though not without some coaxing. The Boyar had buried himself under the Eastern Carpathians, and the mountains were too scared to move. It took us a while to dig him out...'

Well, seemed Lucas was right. I wondered if the mountains had gotten over it.

'As for the global situation, I will not lie and tell you things have gotten better. While we have contained the most violent incidents, with help from local militaries and paranormal agencies, the supernaturals themselves have reacted poorly.'

'What, they start trying to fuck up the world and get mad when someone puts a stop to that? Screw them.' That was Mihai, muttering under his breath some hundred metres to my left. I didn't want to get too close to the Codrea family. The girls were light sleepers at the best of times. They didn't need me walking around. I resorted to floating above the floor whenever I babysat them.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

'Speak louder, please. The twins haven't learned to cuss yet and could use your example,' Adriana hissed.

'Sorry, dear.'

'Mhmm. I don't know how they can sleep here, but good for them. Let's make sure they stay asleep.'

'...Would this be a bad time to mention the spell?'

'Spell? You-'

Welp. Hope he had a spell for getting out of that, too.

I glanced again at the ghost and the werebear, but turned away when Alex looks at me and started smiling-guiltily? Apologetically?

I turned away, and walked towards a wall, or, rather, the Legionaries standing at attention in front of it. One of them glared at me from the corner of his eye, then realised I was a strigoi.

'Ave. Anything you need?' The guy, a head shorter than me and transparent, looked like he was wondering whether I was about to eat his ectoplasm or tear it apart.

'Yes. Does the Crypt accept volunteers?'

He gave me a confused look. 'This room is under control, as you can see. I suppose you could look around for anything suspicious and tell us...'

Gosh, I'd always wanted to be an informant! Too bad the commies got shafted while I was in grade school.

'That's not what I meant. They may have taken care of things on Earth,' I gestured at the agent, who'd turned into an impromptu announcer, commenting as the screen showed footage from the remaining crisis areas. Japanese construction teams, vehicles overclocked by the yokai inside them, attempting to rebuilt Kyushu, though the island was wracked by unnatural tsunami. Indian mage-priests, meditating or walking around the Taj Mahal, rooting out Naga curses and stragglers. 'But there's still Mars. Sure, it was supposed to be a colonisation mission-but it wouldn't surprise me if the reptilians managed to somehow sneak weapons in. And they're dangerous by themselves, anyway...and that's not to mention the ones under our feet. It's not like the whole Collective is offworld.'

By now, the Legionary's fellows had come closer, to look me over suspiciously. 'What are you getting at, revenant?' he asked. I looked over his lorica, for a name engraving or something similar, but-

-Flavius Marcus-

The name came to me unbidden.

I must have had a strange expression, because the Legionary-Flavius-asked, 'Revenant? Can you hear us?'

'It seems we are closer than we thought,' I said by way of apology, smiling.

In truth, I wasn't sure what had happened. Strigoi were kin to ghosts, in a way, and some summoned them, intentionally or otherwise, but I'd never heard of this...awareness of the dead. I'd have to look through the old stories, maybe ask pops once this mess was over.

'As you say...' Flavius started uncertainly. 'Was there anything else you needed, revenant?'

'No, thank you. That will be all, Legionary,' I lied.