The emergency passage continues downward for nearly an hour.
No one speaks for the first several minutes.
The only sounds are our footsteps, Malrec's uneven breathing, and the occasional tremor moving through the mountain behind us.
The monastery is gone.
Aldric's home, his library, and centuries of knowledge were buried because we entered it.
He walks ahead of us without looking back.
I can't tell whether he is angry, grieving, or simply focused on keeping the tunnel from collapsing.
Fear Sense reveals almost nothing from him.
The old man has regained control of his emotions.
Malrec is less successful.
His fear remains directed south, toward the capital. Every few minutes, the silver seal around his heart flickers beneath his damaged armor.
Someone important to him is still there.
Elara walks near the center of the group. She touches the bare skin around her neck repeatedly, almost as though she expects the binding seal to return.
Mara notices.
"It's gone," she says.
"I know."
"You keep checking."
"I wore it for three months."
Elara lowers her hand.
"Every time I tried to remember what happened beneath the palace, it tightened. Every time I questioned Lucien, it punished me. Even my own thoughts stopped feeling safe."
Her voice is calm, but Fear Sense shows something deeper beneath it.
Not fear of the seal.
Fear that part of it may still remain inside her.
Aldric stops walking.
"It is completely removed."
Elara looks toward him.
"You're certain?"
"I watched Shin sever it from the royal network."
"That is not what I asked."
Aldric turns to face her.
"The seal damaged your soul, but it no longer controls you. Some effects may remain until your mind accepts that the restrictions are gone."
"How long will that take?"
"I do not know."
She releases a quiet breath.
At least Aldric is honest when his answers are useless.
We continue through the tunnel.
I open my status while walking.
World Raider
Name: Shin Sasaki
Race: Dreadborn Human
Rank: Dreadborn
Dread: 1,701
Worlds Raided: 1
Soul Weapon: Unnamed Scythe
Title: The World Raider
Title Effect: Minor Dread generation within western Asteria
Objectives:
Learn the truth of the World Raiders — Active
Survive the Asterian Succession War — Active
Establish a source of influence in Asteria — New
The Dread has increased since we left the monastery.
The royal network carried Elara's challenge across the kingdom, but it also told everyone that the World Raider stood beside her.
To some people, I am a foreign assassin controlling a princess.
To others, I am the creature that survived Malrec and exposed the royal family.
Both versions create fear.
The Mark does not care which story is true.
A new objective appeared as well.
Establish a source of influence.
The Reaper's system apparently expects me to take part in this war rather than simply survive it.
I close the status.
"Where does this tunnel end?" I ask.
"In the Lower Orin Valley," Aldric answers. "Several miles north of the monastery."
"And what is waiting there?"
"Trees."
"That's all?"
"Perhaps royal soldiers, depending on how quickly Lucien reacted."
Malrec places one hand against the tunnel wall.
"He reacted immediately."
Aldric looks back.
"You can sense the royal network?"
"Not anymore."
Malrec glances at the silver light beneath his armor.
"But I know Prince Lucien. The moment Elara challenged his claim, he would have ordered every major road, fortress, and communication station secured."
Elara's expression hardens.
"He cannot control the entire kingdom."
"He does not need to," Malrec says. "Prince Caelan controls the army. Lucien controls the court. Together, they hold the capital, the central provinces, and most of the southern garrisons."
"What do I control?"
"Your name."
"That isn't much."
"It may be enough to make people hesitate."
I look toward Malrec.
"And hesitation gives us time."
He nods.
"Some noble houses remained loyal to your father. Others hated Lucien before he became regent. But none will support you until they believe you can survive."
"I challenged him through the throne."
"That proves you possess a claim. It does not prove you can defend it."
Elara looks at me.
"I have the World Raider."
Malrec's gaze moves toward my damaged coat.
"He is powerful, but he is one man."
"I've heard that before," I say.
"And it remains true."
"People usually say it right before losing."
Malrec almost smiles.
Almost.
Aldric raises one hand.
The group stops.
"There is movement ahead."
I use Fear Sense.
The tunnel is empty, but beyond its end I sense dozens of faint emotions.
Confusion.
Urgency.
Pain.
Most are moving west.
"People are outside," I say.
"How many?" Mara asks.
"More than thirty."
"Soldiers?"
"I don't think so."
There is fear among them, but it is unfocused.
They are fleeing something rather than searching for us.
The tunnel ends at a stone wall covered in faded blue symbols.
Aldric places his palm against it.
The symbols activate one by one.
Stone grinds against stone as the wall separates.
Cold evening air enters the passage.
We emerge inside the remains of a small shrine.
The roof collapsed years ago, and vines cover the cracked statues surrounding us. A dry fountain stands in the center.
Beyond the ruins, the mountain slopes toward a wide valley filled with farms and small villages.
Smoke rises from the west.
Not chimney smoke.
Several dark columns stretch into the sky.
People move along the road below, carrying bags, children, and whatever possessions they could take.
Refugees.
Elara approaches the edge of the shrine.
"What happened?"
Malrec looks toward the smoke.
"Lucien began securing the valley."
"That quickly?"
"He cannot allow news of your challenge to spread without controlling the explanation."
A family climbs the hill toward us.
A man carries an injured boy in his arms. A woman follows with two younger children.
They stop when they see us.
Their eyes move toward Malrec's damaged royal armor.
Fear rises immediately.
The man steps backward.
"We don't have anything."
Malrec lowers his hand away from Nightfall.
"We are not here to take from you."
The man looks toward the sword.
"You're a Royal Blade."
His fear becomes stronger.
Several refugees farther down the road notice us.
Whispers begin spreading.
"That's Lord Malrec."
"The executioner."
"Why is he injured?"
"Who are the others?"
The man carrying the boy tightens his grip.
"Please. He needs a healer."
Mara moves forward.
"What happened to him?"
"Soldiers entered Wren's Hollow. They demanded everyone swear loyalty to King Lucien."
Elara becomes still.
"King?"
"He declared himself this afternoon."
Malrec closes his eyes briefly.
The man continues.
"Some of us refused. The soldiers said anyone who supported the traitor princess would lose their homes."
"What did they do?" Elara asks.
"They burned the houses near the square."
The smoke in the distance suddenly feels heavier.
The injured boy groans.
A deep cut runs across his leg, and part of his clothing has burned into the wound.
Mara kneels beside him.
"We need water and clean cloth."
The woman immediately removes a bottle from her bag.
Aldric joins them.
Blue light gathers around his fingers.
Elara looks toward the burning village.
Her anger is clear even without Fear Sense.
"Lucien did this because of me."
"No," I say.
She turns.
"He did it because I challenged him."
"He did it because he wanted everyone to believe challenging him was impossible."
"That does not help the people losing their homes."
"No."
I look toward the road.
More refugees are stopping.
They recognize Elara's silver hair.
Her hood fell during the escape from the monastery, and she has not restored her illusion.
A woman near the front of the crowd gasps.
"The princess."
People begin whispering her name.
Elara's posture changes.
She straightens despite the exhaustion visible on her face.
Malrec steps closer.
"You should hide your identity."
"They already saw me."
"Then we move before someone reports us."
Elara looks toward the villagers.
"We cannot leave them."
"We cannot defend every village in Asteria."
"No. But we can defend this one."
Malrec stares toward the smoke.
"Wren's Hollow has nearly four hundred residents. The soldiers will have secured the main roads and communication crystal."
"How many soldiers?" I ask.
"Possibly fifty."
"That isn't many."
"They may belong to the Ninth Royal Battalion."
"Is that supposed to mean something?"
"They specialize in suppression."
I summon my scythe.
Black smoke gathers around my hand before forming into the altered weapon.
The refugees step back.
Fear rises through the shrine.
Dread received: 3
Dread received: 2
Dread received: 4
Elara looks toward me.
"You're helping?"
"I need influence."
"That is your reason?"
"It's one of them."
She studies my face.
I'm not sure what answer she is searching for.
The injured boy cries out as Aldric pulls burned fabric from the wound.
I look away from him.
"When I was executed, no one stopped it," I say. "They watched because the people giving the orders had more power than I did."
Elara remains silent.
"I'm not interested in watching that happen again."
Her expression softens slightly.
Malrec examines the road leading west.
"If we attack the soldiers, Lucien will claim the princess has begun murdering royal troops."
"He already called me a traitor," Elara says.
"He has not yet convinced everyone."
"Then we need witnesses."
I look toward the refugees.
"We have plenty."
Malrec follows my gaze.
"You want them to watch."
"I want them to know exactly what happens."
Aldric finishes wrapping the boy's leg.
The blue light around his fingers fades.
"He will live."
The boy's father nearly collapses with relief.
He lowers his head.
"Thank you."
Aldric points toward the shrine.
"Remain here until we return."
The man looks toward Elara.
"You're going to Wren's Hollow?"
"Yes," she says.
"There are too many soldiers."
Elara glances toward me.
"I have been told one person may be enough."
Malrec exhales slowly.
"That statement is becoming increasingly irritating."
We leave Mara with the refugees.
She protests at first, but someone needs to protect them if another patrol arrives.
Aldric remains as well.
His ritual and the monastery's collapse drained most of his strength.
That leaves Elara, Malrec, and me.
The princess, the executioner sent to capture her, and the reason the soldiers came in the first place.
It is not an ordinary rescue party.
We follow the road west.
The closer we get to Wren's Hollow, the stronger the fear becomes.
Streams of gray energy rise above the village like smoke.
Some are directed toward the soldiers.
Others toward Lucien.
A few are already directed toward Elara.
Not because the villagers fear her personally.
They fear what supporting her might cost them.
That may be more dangerous than hatred.
People rarely risk their lives for someone they believe has already lost.
Malrec walks beside me.
"Your hand."
I glance toward the Mark.
"What about it?"
"The eye opened when we approached the village."
"It responds to fear."
"Does it ever stop?"
"When people do."
He looks toward the dark chains visible only to me.
"Can you control how much you take?"
"I can refuse a specific source."
"Can you return it?"
"I haven't tried."
"That means no."
"Probably."
Malrec looks ahead.
"Power that only moves in one direction usually belongs to something else."
The Reaper's warning returns to my thoughts.
Kael's memory.
Lucien demanding the fragment.
Everyone wants access to the Mark.
No one seems interested in helping me remove it.
"Are you trying to give advice?" I ask.
"I am trying to decide whether standing beside you is more dangerous than returning to the prince."
"What did Lucien threaten?"
Malrec's expression closes immediately.
"That does not concern you."
"Your fear does."
His hand moves toward Nightfall.
Not to attack.
A reflex.
I continue.
"You aren't afraid for yourself. You're afraid of someone in the capital."
"Do not search through matters you do not understand."
"I'm not searching. You're carrying it loudly."
Malrec stops walking.
Elara turns toward us.
"What is it?"
Neither of us answers.
Malrec looks at me.
"My wife and daughter live inside the capital."
That explains enough.
"Lucien has them?"
"They are guests of the Crown."
"That sounds like prisoners."
"It is meant to."
Elara approaches.
"Malrec, I didn't know you had a daughter."
"Few do."
"Why?"
"Royal Blades are encouraged to avoid attachments."
"Caelan knew."
"Caelan arranged their residence in the capital."
Elara's face becomes pale.
"He threatened them to control you."
"He never needed to say it."
Malrec looks toward Wren's Hollow.
"I returned for you because my family's survival depended on my obedience."
"And now?" I ask.
"Now Lucien knows I resisted him."
His fear sharpens.
The Mark absorbs a faint trace.
I hate that it benefits from this conversation.
"We'll get them out," Elara says.
Malrec looks toward her.
"You cannot promise that."
"I am the rightful heir."
"You have no army."
"Then I will build one."
The words are not spoken through the throne network.
There is no magic supporting them.
Still, Malrec studies her differently afterward.
We reach the edge of Wren's Hollow as darkness begins spreading across the valley.
The village consists of wooden homes surrounding a stone square.
Three buildings are burning.
Villagers kneel in rows near the center.
Royal soldiers surround them.
A raised platform has been built beside the well.
A man in polished red armor stands upon it.
He holds a rolled document in one hand.
A golden communication crystal floats beside him.
"By order of His Majesty, King Lucien Asteria," he announces, "all citizens are required to reject the false claim made by Princess Elara."
Several villagers repeat the words weakly.
The soldiers move behind anyone who remains silent.
The man continues reading.
"Any person offering shelter, food, information, or assistance to the traitor princess will be executed."
A woman near the front begins crying.
A soldier grabs her by the shoulder.
"Speak the oath."
"My husband served King Edric."
The soldier strikes her across the face.
She falls.
Her fear becomes sharp enough to feel from across the village.
Elara moves forward.
Malrec catches her arm.
"Wait."
"They're hurting her."
"The communication crystal is active."
"So?"
"Lucien's officers are watching."
I examine the floating crystal.
Fear Sense reveals a connection leading far beyond the village.
Not to Lucien.
To a military outpost east of the capital.
"They're recording this," I say.
Malrec nods.
"The oath will be distributed to other villages as an example."
I rest the scythe against my shoulder.
"Then this is better than witnesses."
Elara understands.
"We take the crystal."
"No," I say. "We leave it active."
Malrec looks toward me.
"You want them to watch you attack royal soldiers."
"I want them to watch the soldiers choose."
"Choose what?"
I focus on the faint golden light surrounding each soldier.
Thin seals are wrapped around their hearts.
Not as strong as Malrec's.
But similar.
"Whether they serve Lucien or Asteria."
Malrec sees where I am looking.
"The battalion carries obedience seals."
"Can they resist?"
"Not for long."
I open my marked hand.
"Then I remove them."
"You only used Dread Severance twice."
"That makes this good practice."
"That technique nearly disabled your arm."
"I have another one."
Elara steps between us.
"Stop discussing whether he can survive and tell me whether this can free them."
Malrec hesitates.
"Yes."
That is enough for her.
She walks toward the square.
No illusion.
No cloak hiding her hair.
She enters the firelight as herself.
A soldier notices first.
His sword leaves its sheath.
"Someone's approaching."
The officer on the platform stops reading.
His eyes settle on Elara.
For a moment, he looks confused.
Then terrified.
"Princess Elara."
The villagers turn.
Whispers spread through the square.
"She's alive."
"It's really her."
"The notices said she was taken."
The officer points toward her.
"Seize the traitor."
The soldiers surrounding the villagers do not move immediately.
Elara raises her voice.
"My name is Elara Selene Asteria, daughter of King Edric."
Silver light gathers around her body.
The royal seals carried by the soldiers respond.
Some turn white.
Others flicker between white and black.
The officer on the platform grabs the communication crystal.
"Commander Soren requesting immediate reinforcement. The princess is in Wren's Hollow."
I step into the square behind Elara.
Black smoke rolls around my feet.
The villagers see the scythe.
Their fear surges.
So does the fear of every soldier who heard the stories from Briarwood.
"The World Raider," someone whispers.
Commander Soren's face loses color.
"You."
"I've been getting that reaction often."
He points toward me.
"Kill him!"
A dozen soldiers raise crossbows.
Malrec enters the firelight.
The weapons lower.
The soldiers stare at him.
"Lord Malrec?"
Soren looks between us.
"My lord, we were told you had been captured."
"I was not."
"Then arrest them."
Malrec remains beside Elara.
Soren's confusion becomes fear.
"The prince gave a direct order."
"The prince is not the king."
Every soldier hears him.
The communication crystal carries his words.
Soren looks toward it.
"You are committing treason."
Malrec draws Nightfall.
The cracked blade reflects the fire.
"I serve Asteria."
"You serve the throne."
"The throne has recognized two claims."
Soren raises his own sword.
"There is only one king."
The black seal around his heart tightens.
He gasps.
Lucien's authority is forcing him to act.
Other soldiers begin moving as their seals activate.
Elara raises her hand.
"As the recognized heir of Asteria, I order you to stand down."
Silver light strikes the battalion.
The seals flicker.
Black and white energy fight around each soldier's chest.
Some fall to their knees.
Others raise weapons with shaking hands.
Soren screams and charges toward Elara.
I move between them.
His sword strikes the handle of my scythe.
He is stronger than an ordinary knight.
The obedience seal is forcing mana through his body beyond what it can safely endure.
Black veins spread across his face.
"I have to obey," he says through clenched teeth.
"I know."
I place my marked hand against his chest.
The golden and black seal becomes visible beneath his armor.
One connection leads toward the throne.
Another connects to Soren's own soul.
Destroying the seal would damage both.
Dread Severance must separate the outside connection without cutting into him.
I focus on the bond.
The scythe's purple lines glow.
"Sever."
A thin purple edge appears between my palm and his armor.
The connection breaks.
Soren's sword falls.
He collapses against me.
The black veins across his face begin fading.
Dread Severance proficiency increased.
The other soldiers stare.
Commander Soren touches his chest.
"The seal."
"Gone," I say.
"You removed a royal oath."
"It was controlling you."
His eyes move toward Malrec.
"Is this true?"
"Yes."
Soren looks toward the communication crystal.
Fear returns.
"If the prince saw—"
"He did," I say.
The officer's face becomes pale.
"Then my family is dead."
Elara steps closer.
"No."
Soren laughs bitterly.
"You cannot protect them from here."
"She can't," I say.
He looks toward me.
"But Lucien cannot punish every family connected to every soldier who refuses him."
"Why not?"
"Because there are too many of you."
The villagers listen.
So do the soldiers.
The communication crystal continues carrying everything to the outpost.
I raise my voice.
"Lucien controls you because each of you believes you will resist alone."
The Mark absorbs their fear, but I do not release it back at them.
I direct Dread Aura toward the royal seals instead.
The pressure of accumulated fear causes the black connections to become visible.
Dozens of dark chains stretch east.
The soldiers see them.
Several cry out.
"What is that?"
"His hold over you," Elara says.
I lift the scythe.
The second blade along its back begins glowing.
Dread Severance spreads through the weapon.
One connection would be simple.
Dozens may destroy my soul weapon again.
I swing anyway.
A purple arc moves across the square.
It does not touch the soldiers.
It passes through the chains.
For one second, nothing happens.
Then every black connection separates at once.
The soldiers collapse.
Pain erupts through my arm.
The scythe cracks.
I drop to one knee.
Dread Severance has reached Level 2.
Multiple weak connections may now be severed simultaneously.
Soul weapon integrity: 43%.
Elara moves toward me.
"Shin."
"I'm fine."
"You're bleeding."
Blood runs from my marked palm.
"That happens."
"You need a different response."
The soldiers slowly stand.
Their obedience seals remain inside them, but the connections to Lucien are gone.
For the first time, their choices belong to them.
Commander Soren looks toward the villagers kneeling in the square.
Then at the burning homes.
His expression changes.
He turns toward his own soldiers.
"Put out the fires."
No one questions him.
Half the battalion immediately begins carrying water from the well.
Others help the villagers stand.
The woman who was struck looks toward Soren with anger.
He lowers his sword.
"I'm sorry."
The words do not repair her home.
But they are a beginning.
The communication crystal remains floating beside the platform.
A new voice emerges from it.
Calm.
Deep.
Familiar to Elara and Malrec.
Every soldier becomes still.
"Commander Soren."
Elara's face hardens.
"Caelan."
Prince Caelan's image appears above the crystal.
He looks younger than Lucien, with short silver hair and dark blue armor. Unlike his brother, his eyes appear normal.
A scar crosses his jaw.
He takes in the scene.
The freed soldiers.
Malrec beside Elara.
Me kneeling with the damaged scythe.
"So," Caelan says. "The reports were accurate."
Elara walks toward the crystal.
"You sent the Black Crown after me."
"I sent them to bring you home."
"They poisoned me."
"You escaped with information capable of destroying the kingdom."
"The kingdom deserves the truth."
"The kingdom deserves to survive."
His gaze moves toward me.
"And you must be the World Raider."
"That's becoming obvious."
"You have caused a remarkable amount of damage in two days."
"I haven't been counting."
"I have."
Caelan looks toward Commander Soren.
"You abandoned your oath."
Soren stands straighter.
"My oath was altered without my consent."
"You swore to the throne."
"I swore to King Edric."
Caelan's expression does not change.
"King Edric is no longer capable of ruling."
"Because Lucien sealed him," Elara says.
The soldiers react.
Several look toward the crystal in disbelief.
Caelan's eyes move toward his sister.
"You should not have removed your binding seal."
"You should not have placed it on me."
"I tried to protect you."
"Lucien said the same thing."
For the first time, anger appears on Caelan's face.
"I am not Lucien."
"Then why do you serve him?"
Silence.
Fear Sense reaches through the communication crystal.
Caelan is too distant for a clear connection, but I sense concern.
Not for Lucien.
Not even for the kingdom.
For Elara.
"You don't trust him," I say.
Caelan's eyes settle on me.
"You know nothing about my brother."
"I know you're afraid of what he's becoming."
The image flickers.
Caelan's expression turns cold.
"You gather fear and mistake it for understanding."
"Fear is usually honest."
"No emotion is honest when isolated from everything surrounding it."
That is a better answer than I expected from him.
Malrec steps toward the crystal.
"My prince."
Caelan looks at the damaged Royal Blade.
"You allowed them to remove your oath."
"I allowed nothing."
"Yet you stand beside her."
"I stand beside the heir recognized by the throne."
Caelan's jaw tightens.
"The throne is corrupted."
"Then Lucien has no claim either."
Caelan says nothing.
That silence tells the soldiers more than an argument would.
Elara looks toward her brother.
"Join me."
Mara and Aldric have not reached the village, but every person in the square hears her.
Even the fires seem quieter.
Elara continues.
"Help me free Father. Help me destroy the network beneath the palace."
Caelan stares through the crystal.
For one moment, I think he may agree.
Then fear reaches me through the connection.
Something is standing near him.
Someone he does not want us to know is there.
His eyes shift slightly to the side.
Only once.
A shadow moves behind his image.
Black robes.
A pale hand.
Caelan looks toward the crystal again.
"I cannot."
The image begins fading.
Elara steps closer.
"Caelan."
His voice becomes quieter.
"You should leave Wren's Hollow before dawn."
"Why?"
"Because Lucien has ordered the village erased."
The soldiers in the square become still.
Soren looks toward the burning homes.
"How?"
Caelan's image continues disappearing.
"The Third Royal Blade is already on the way."
Malrec grips Nightfall.
"Which one?"
Caelan looks directly at him.
"The Ash Saint."
The communication crystal turns black.
Cracks spread across its surface.
Before the connection ends, Caelan says one final thing.
"Run, Elara."
The crystal explodes.
I shield my face as fragments scatter across the platform.
Malrec's fear surges.
This time, it is directed north.
Toward something approaching through the sky.
I follow his gaze.
A faint red light burns above the mountains.
At first, it looks like a star.
Then it grows larger.
A trail of ash follows behind it.
"What is the Ash Saint?" I ask.
Malrec does not look away.
"One of the three Royal Blades who serve Lucien without question."
"That doesn't answer the question."
"He destroyed a rebellious city twelve years ago."
"How?"
Malrec looks toward Wren's Hollow.
The villagers.
The wooden homes.
The fields surrounding them.
"He burned everything within its walls."
Elara turns toward Commander Soren.
"How long until he arrives?"
"Less than an hour."
Panic spreads through the square.
The villagers begin shouting.
Some run toward their homes.
Others freeze.
The red light in the sky continues growing.
Soren looks toward Elara.
"We can evacuate part of the village, but not everyone."
She looks toward me.
I can see the question before she asks it.
Can I stop him?
Fear Sense reaches toward the approaching figure.
Even from miles away, I can feel the terror attached to his name.
Villages.
Soldiers.
Entire towns.
Thousands of people fear the Ash Saint.
The Mark reacts hungrily.
A notification appears.
High-value Dread source approaching.
Warning: Target's estimated strength greatly exceeds current rank.
I stand.
The crack along my scythe widens as it reforms in my hand.
Elara watches me.
"You can't fight him like this."
"Probably not."
"Then what do we do?"
The objective inside my status changes.
Establish a source of influence in Asteria
Possible condition discovered: Defend territory claimed by an allied heir.
Wren's Hollow is not important to Lucien.
That is why he is willing to erase it.
But if Elara protects it when the king abandons it, the village becomes more than a collection of houses.
It becomes the first place to choose her.
I look toward the soldiers whose connections I severed.
Then toward the villagers watching their princess.
"We raise a banner."
Elara frowns.
"What?"
"You challenged for the throne, but no one knows what belongs to you."
"Nothing belongs to me."
"Then start here."
Commander Soren understands first.
He removes the red banner of Lucien's battalion from the platform.
The golden lion stitched into the fabric is surrounded by a black crown.
He draws his sword and cuts the crown away.
The villagers watch.
Soren lowers himself onto one knee before Elara.
His soldiers slowly follow.
"I swore my first oath to King Edric," he says. "I will not swear another while he lives."
Elara looks uncertain.
Soren continues.
"But until the king is free, I will defend his recognized heir."
The soldiers strike their fists against their armor.
The sound spreads through the square.
Villagers begin kneeling as well.
Not all of them.
Enough.
Fear changes around us.
It does not disappear.
It gains direction.
They are still terrified of the Ash Saint.
But now they believe someone may stand against him.
Elara looks toward the damaged banner.
Silver light gathers around her hand.
She touches the torn fabric.
The black crown disappears.
The golden lion turns silver.
A new symbol forms behind it.
A pair of open wings surrounding a broken chain.
The banner rises into the air without wind.
It attaches itself to the highest point of the platform.
A notification fills my vision.
Princess Elara has claimed Wren's Hollow under the Banner of the Broken Chain.
Influence established in Asteria.
Objective complete.
New faction recognized: The Free Asterian Claim
Your affiliation: Founding Threat
I stare at the final line.
"Founding Threat?"
Elara glances toward me.
"What?"
"Nothing."
The red light above the mountains becomes brighter.
Ash begins falling from the sky.
Small gray flakes land across the square.
Where they touch wood, faint smoke appears.
Malrec draws Nightfall.
Commander Soren begins shouting orders.
"Evacuate the eastern homes! Move everyone toward the stone quarry! Archers to the western roofs!"
Elara looks toward me.
"We have less than an hour."
I examine the cracked soul weapon in my hand.
Then the fear flowing from everyone beneath the new banner.
I cannot defeat the Ash Saint through strength alone.
Not yet.
But I do not need to fight fairly.
The Reaper sent me to create chaos.
Lucien sent a weapon capable of burning an entire village.
For once, our goals align perfectly.
I smile as ash covers my shoulders.
"Then we'd better make the first hour of your rebellion memorable."
END OF CHAPTER 13