"Tell them, Elio! Do they think they can survive without a competent leader? Without the barrier, EVERYONE will die!"
Fathoran's revelation fell like a bombshell among those present.
Murmurs of disbelief and fear began to spread like wildfire through the crowd.
Elio, feeling the pressure of hundreds of eyes upon him, clenched his fists. Anger boiled within him, not just at Fathoran's words, but at the truth they contained. He had hoped to address this issue differently, in a time and place of his choosing.
Now, that choice had been ripped away from him.
"Is that your pathetic excuse?" Elio roared, his voice charged with fury that echoed off the walls. "Is that why we should bow our heads while you hoard all the resources and prevent us from advancing? Your way of acting is what led us to this in the first place!"