<h4>Chapter 160: Chapter 160: When the World Goes Mad</h4>


    A car crashed through the front window of the coffee shop.


    ra ducked as ss flew everywhere. Through her earpiece, she could hear screaming from cities around the world.


    "Los Angeles is inplete chaos," Phoenix reported. "Humans are attacking anyone who looks different."


    "London’s not much better," Luna added. "Vampires are being hunted with wooden stakes."


    "And werewolves in Germany," Kael’s voice crackled with static. "Silver bullets are selling out everywhere."


    It had been six hours since ra’s broadcast. Six hours since the world learned that monsters from their nightmares were real. Six hours of pure terror.


    The human driver stumbled out of the crashed car, blood on his forehead. "Where are they?" he shouted wildly. "Where are the vampires? I know they’re here!"


    "Sir, please calm down," ra said gently, stepping toward him.


    "Don’te near me!" He pulled out a wooden cross. "I know what you are!"


    "I’m just trying to help—"


    "WITCH!" he screamed.


    More humans burst into the coffee shop. They carried makeshift weapons: baseball bats with silver nails, water guns filled with what smelled like garlic water, and homemade wooden stakes.


    "There she is!" a woman yelled. "The supernatural ambassador! She’s the one who started all this!"


    ra’s heart sank. These weren’t evil people. They were terrified parents, worried workers, frightened neighbors. But fear had turned them into a mob.


    "Please listen," she said, raising her hands peacefully. "I understand you’re scared—"


    "Scared?" A manughed bitterly. "My daughter’s teacher turned out to be a vampire! She’s been alone with our kids for three years!"


    "Just because someone’s a vampire doesn’t mean—"


    "Doesn’t mean what?" another voice demanded. "That they won’t drink our children’s blood?"


    The crowd pressed closer. ra backed against the broken window, feeling trapped.


    On the coffee shop’s TV, news reports shed from around the globe:


    "BREAKING: Supernatural creatures attack humans in twelve major cities."


    "WEREWOLF PACK TERRORIZES SHOPPING MALL."


    "WITCH COVEN DISAPPEARS WITH MISSING CHILDREN."


    ra’s blood turned cold. "Those reports are fake," she said desperately. "The Shadow Council is staging attacks to make you hate us!"


    "Convenient excuse," the woman with the wooden stake sneered.


    "It’s the truth! Real supernatural beings don’t hurt innocent people!"


    "Then exin this!"


    The man turned up the TV volume. A news anchor was speaking in a panic:


    "We’re getting reports that a group calling themselves werewolves has taken over Central Park. They’re demanding all humans leave New York City or face the consequences."


    The footage showed massive wolves prowling through the park. Their eyes glowed red instead of the normal gold of real werewolves.


    "Those aren’t real werewolves," ra insisted. "Look at their eyes! Real werewolves have golden eyes, not red!"


    "How do we know you’re telling the truth?" the mob leader demanded.


    Before ra could answer, her phone buzzed. A text from baby Sage:


    "Mom, the Shadow Council is using fake supernatural beings. Humans with magic enhancement drugs. Real werewolves are being med for crimes they didn’tmit."


    Another message from ze: "It’s getting worse. Humans are burning down supernatural safe houses. Families are trapped inside."


    ra’s hands shook as she read a third message from Phoenix: "Emergency! Human children are missing from three schools. Notes left behind say ’Trade: supernatural lives for human children.’"


    "What’s wrong?" the woman with the stake asked suspiciously. "Getting orders from your monster friends?"


    "No," ra whispered. "Someone’s kidnapping human children to frame us."


    She held up her phone, showing them the messages.


    The mob hesitated. The man with the cross lowered it slightly.


    "My nephew goes to Riverside Elementary," he said slowly. "That’s one of the schools mentioned."


    "Then help me stop this," ra pleaded. "The Shadow Council wants humans and supernatural beings to destroy each other. Don’t give them what they want."


    For a moment, hope flickered in the coffee shop.


    Then the TV showed new footage. A group of figures in dark cloaks were standing outside Riverside Elementary. One of them spoke into the camera:


    "We are the Shadow Council," a disguised voice announced. "We have taken human children to show you the truth about supernatural beings. We are superior. You are prey."


    "No," ra breathed. "They’re lying. Real supernatural beings would never—"


    "ENOUGH!" the mob leader roared. "We’ve heard enough lies!"


    The crowd surged forward, but suddenly the coffee shop filled with howling wind.


    Kane burst through the back door in his wolf form, Seraphina right behind him moving with vampire speed.


    "Get away from her!" Kane snarled, shifting back to human form.


    The mob screamed and scattered, but more humans poured in from outside. Soon they were surrounded by hundreds of terrified, angry people.


    "This is exactly what the Shadow Council wanted," Seraphina said grimly.


    "How do we stop it?" ra asked desperately.


    "We don’t," Kane replied. "It’s toote. The fear has spread too far, too fast."


    Outside, sirens wailed. Smoke rose from burning buildings. In the distance, they could hear gunshots and screaming.


    ra’s phone rang. The caller ID showed: UNKNOWN.


    "Answer it," Seraphina urged. "Might be important."


    ra pressed the speaker button. A cold, mechanical voice filled the coffee shop:


    "Greetings, Ambassador. Do you see what you’ve aplished?"


    "Who is this?"


    "A friend. Someone who warned you this would happen."


    ra’s heart stopped. "The former President."


    "Very good. I’m calling to offer you a deal."


    The mob outside had grown quiet, pressing against the windows to listen.


    "What kind of deal?"


    "Surrender yourself to human authorities. Publicly apologize for deceiving humanity. Agree to help round up all supernatural beings for proper containment."


    "Never."


    "Then watch the world burn, Ambassador. Every death today is your fault. Every frightened child, every destroyed family, every drop of blood spilled - it’s all because you chose to reveal our existence."


    Tears ran down ra’s face. On the TV, the death count was rising. Humans attacking supernatural beings. The Shadow Council’s fake creatures hurting innocent people. Children missing from schools.


    "You have one hour to decide," the voice continued. "After that, I release evidence that you personally nned all of today’s attacks."


    "That’s impossible! I would never—"


    "Video evidence can be very convincing, even when it’s fake. One hour, Ambassador. Save what’s left of both our species, or watch them destroy each otherpletely."


    The line went dead.


    Kane put his hand on ra’s shoulder. "Don’t listen to her. This isn’t your fault."


    "Isn’t it?" ra looked at the chaos outside. "I chose to reveal us. I started this."


    "The Shadow Council started this," Seraphina corrected. "You just gave them an opportunity."


    "Same result," ra said brokenly.


    Her phone buzzed with an urgent message from baby Sage: "Mom, I found something. The Shadow Council isn’t just supernatural beings. They have human members too. Rich, powerful humans who want to use the panic to take control of both species."


    Another message from ze: "The missing human children - we know where they are. But it’s a trap. They want you toe alone."


    A third message from Phoenix: "Emergency broadcast in 30 minutes. Someone iming to be you is going to confess to nning everything. It’s a deepfake video, but it lookspletely real."


    ra stared at her phone in horror. In thirty minutes, the world would see "her" admitting to orchestrating a supernatural terrorist attack against humanity.


    "We need to get to a TV station," she said urgently. "I have to broadcast the truth before—"


    The coffee shop windows exploded inward as military vehicles surrounded the building.


    Soldiers poured in, weapons raised. Their leader stepped forward.


    "ra Moon, you’re under arrest for crimes against humanity."


    "This is a setup!" Kane growled.


    "Step away from the terrorist," the soldier ordered.


    "I’m not a terrorist," ra said desperately. "I’m trying to stop one!"


    "Tell it to the judge. If you live that long."


    As they forced silver handcuffs on her wrists, ra heard the former President’s voice echoing through loudspeakers across the city:


    "Citizens of Earth, the supernatural threat has been contained. The terrorist known as ra Moon is in custody. All supernatural beings must report to registration centers immediately, or face elimination."


    But just as the soldiers dragged ra toward their vehicle, baby Sage’s voice came through hidden speakers throughout the coffee shop:


    "Attention everyone. In exactly three minutes, you’re going to learn who really caused today’s chaos. And it’s not who you think."


    The countdown began appearing on every screen in the city:


    "TRUTH REVEALED IN: 2:59... 2:58... 2:57..."


    "What truth?" the soldier demanded, looking around nervously.


    Baby Sage’s voice answered with chilling certainty: "The truth about who’s been controlling both sides of this war from the very beginning."