No one could fathom the agony in Sage's heart, nor did they know what choices she was grappling with. Yet, she did not have the luxury of time to ponder.

After taking a deep breath, she said, "Have all the citizens gathered."

"What are you planning to do?"

"Now isn't the time to explain. We need to stall for as long as we can," Sage commanded, "Guards, I want the youngsters to be brought here with Javier in the lead. Tell them to meet here in five minutes."

"Yes, ma'am.”

Javier led Geras’s new generation of soldiers—a group of a thousand and two hundred elites who had become immortals. They were a well-coordinated special forces team, and Javier was their leader.

In less than five minutes, the young men and women hurried in and saluted Sage upon seeing her. She turned to them and said, "Everyone, I've spent a lot of my time raising you into good people who will act righteously, who understand responsibility and duty. Now that you're all grown up, you no longer possess the nai