"How many Human Cities are there?"
White asked.
"Let me give you a bit of a history on Cities. Ancient Earth used to have 195 Countries, inhabiting around 8 billion people."
"But when the Supernaturals invaded, we lost about 5 billion, and most of those countries were overtaken."
"So humanity gathered together, built the Great Wall, and within it, instead of forming Countries with borders, we created Cities insteadāMega and Mini Cities, with Mini Cities still sometimes being under the identity of a Mega City."
"So if you ask how many Cities are on Earth, safe to say we have a total of 18 Mega Cities."
"So, 18 Mega Cities, right?"
White asked.
"Correct."
"If a single Alphanomalous Supernatural can wipe out a City, then how is humanity still alive?"
"You want to tell me there are not up to 18 Alphanomalous Supernaturals? Why canāt each of them just decide to take on a city and wipe it out?"
White asked, but then he froze, saying,
"I donāt mean to sound like I want Humanity to end. I was just..."
"No, no."
Commander Zoltan said, raising a finger.
"Thatās actually a very good question, and Iāll let you in on a secret that you must never ever disclose..."
he said.
"Ready for it?"
he asked. White nodded, watching the man lean forward and say in a low tone.
"If all Supernaturals gather, and all Humans gather, and thereās a head-on war... the Supernaturals have enough power to destroy us... twice!"
he whispered, and White felt an inexplicable chill crawl down his spine.
If anyone had told him this, he would have laughed them off, but this was a Humanity Ascension Commander.
"Then... just how are we still alive?"
he asked unconsciously, and Commander Zoltan smiled before saying,
"Because there is no Supernatural."
he said, leaving Whiteās head blank of information.
"See, White. The word Supernatural doesnāt really exist. We Humans made it to name our invaders, and to us it meant that the Supernaturals are one single race that invaded us, but thatās not true."
"While Humanity understands that weāre all Humans, no matter the skin colour or names. There is no Human dog, or Human wolf. Weāre all Humans."
"Thereās unity behind that word Humanity, a unity that is only solidified by the Supernaturalsā invasion."
"And while there are indeed some new species of Human beings, like Homo Aetherius, theyāre Human beings who were forced to evolve by Essence Energy. We still see them as Humans."
"So the word Humanity is one united race with no division."
"Understand?"
he asked, and White nodded.
"Now, the word Supernaturals. Thereās no such thing as one race in the Supernaturals. Unity doesnāt exist, especially at the top, unlike Humanity, where the unity is even greater at the peak."
"If an Alphanomalous Supernatural..."
he said, but then paused.
"Let me be clear about what an Alphanomalous Supernatural is. You guessed before that theyāre Werewolves or Vampires, and I said no, because just any Werewolf or Vampire isnāt an Alphanomalous Supernatural."
"That word is very specific toward the one at the peak of that race. A Vampire Lord. A Primordial Wolf."
he explained, and White nodded.
"So, as I was saying, if an Alphanomalous Supernatural creature, letās say a Vampire Lord, attacks a city and destroys it..."
"Humanity wonāt just sit down and do nothing. You will see dozens of the most powerful Humans on Earth rising up as one and venturing into that Vampire Lordās place and absolutely annihilating it."
"Thatās the thing with us, Humans. Our unity, especially when a large amount of us are killed, is beyond anything this planet will ever see."
"But can you guess what happens if Humanity wipes out a Blood City, which is the name for a Vampire City?"
"The Supernaturals fight back?"
White asked, and Commander Zoltan shook his head.
"No. Vampires fight back, and Werewolves rejoice."
he said, and White paused.
Those exact words made him remember the words he had with Beta Esmarie back on the Supernaturalsā mothership.
"Werewolves and Vampires donāt see eye to eye."
"Thatās the thing with the Supernaturals. Thereās very low unity between them, and while the strongest Humans on Earth can all easily sit down together in one room and have a formal discussion..."
"You will never see a Primordial Wolf sit down to talk with a Vampire Lord... ever!"
"When two Alphanomalous Supernaturals cross paths, itās a battle to the death."
"And this is exactly why Humanity is alive."
"If all the Alphanomalous Supernaturals gather as one and decide to wage war, they will destroy us, but two Alphanomalous Supernaturals wonāt ever sit down and discuss together, so thatāll never happen."
"As for anything below the Alphanomalous Supernatural hierarchy, theyāre strong, no doubt, but they canāt fully wipe us out."
Commander Zoltan said with a shrug.
"So the power to erase Humanity is in the hands of the Alphanomalous Supernaturals uniting as one, but the Alphanomalous Supernaturals are unable to unite, so the Supernaturals never have enough power to fully wipe us out."
White said.
"Thatās exactly it. And do not worry that tomorrow morning all of the Alphanomalous Supernaturals will suddenly come together as one."
"Weāve been fighting this war for half a century now, and weāre still alive."
"Safe to say itāll never happen."
"But doesnāt it keep you up at night?"
White asked.
"Knowing out there is a power that, if it decides to unite, will be the end of you?"
"How can you sleep well knowing that?"
"You donāt."
Commander Zoltan said simply.
"And trust me, there are a lot of things that are ten times worse than that."
"Good thing that reaching this level of power means we can live perfectly even with zero sleep."
he joked, chuckling, but White didnāt find it funny at all.
So the Supernaturals can really destroy us, and not just destroy us. They can do it twice.
āIāve always thought our powers were the same, so thereās a stalemate of sorts.ā
He thought quietly as his blue eyes narrowed.
āThis is worse than I thought...ā