Chris POV*
I didn't need screaming.
Didn't need war drums or thunder in the sky.
Power doesn't raise its voice.
It only waits.
And today—I was power.
The crowd before me, stretching across the Blackwood Assembly Grounds, was still. Some stood tall. Some trembled. All were watching.
> "A button will be presented to each of you," I announced, stepping forward just slightly. "Blue means yes. Red means no."
My voice carried, yet it never rose.
> "Only I will see the total vote count. There will be no cheering. No announcement. No feedback. You will vote, and your vote will weigh on your soul… not your status."
A few gasps rippled through the sea of citizens.
Some guards turned rigid, especially the ones under fire—those who had dared point their rifles at me.
> "We begin," I said simply. "Now."
Holographic orbs hovered silently over the crowd. Like glowing spirits, each descended in front of every citizen, council member, soldier, child, merchant, elder—even the sick ones who had been carried in stretchers.
Each orb shimmered, then split.
One blue.
One red.
> "Vote only on the soldiers," I reminded. "Did they deserve to live, despite pointing their weapons at the sovereign ruler?"
Silence.
Then…
Tap.
Tap.
Soft touches, one by one. Silent decisions falling like invisible raindrops.
I turned slowly. Behind me, on a private black glass screen, the numbers flickered in real time—visible only to me.
VOTES CAST: 5,028,917
YES (BLUE): 3,410,072
NO (RED): 1,618,845
I took it in with a neutral face. But inside…
I noted every region. Every vote split.
Those 1.6 million that wanted blood? I'd remember.
But this wasn't about punishment.
It was about proof.
Proof that the people could decide.
Proof that fear had soaked so deep, they now feared voting wrong.
I turned back.
> "Noted," I said. "Next vote will be cast shortly."
The air was still thick. Tense. Charged.
Even Amara, standing to the side, had her brows slightly furrowed. Her jaw clenched just barely. She was calculating the people's response too.
Good.
Let her calculate. Let her sweat.
I wasn't done.
> "Now… cast your vote on my wife's reign."
The orbs returned.
Blue or red.
No names. No speeches.
Just silent judgment.
Just truth.
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