The quiet after the battle did not last.
Two hours passed with no new assault on the barrier. Soldiers rotated along the eastern wall. Messengers came and went with reports that the Realm of Darkness had pulled back a short distance, though the black clouds still hung low and motionless beyond the holy field. Inside the underground chamber the golden light around Alicia never wavered.
Sekai used the relative calm to rest in short bursts. He closed his eyes against the stone wall and let his body recover while the timer continued its steady countdown. Four hours and fifty-three minutes remained when the next problem arrived from an unexpected direction.
A young page burst into the chamber, face pale and breathing hard. "Prince Will, there is trouble at the western gate. A group of citizens is trying to force their way into the restricted district. They are demanding to see the princess."
Will frowned. "The western gate should be under full guard."
"It is," the page said. "But the crowd is growing. Some of them are claiming the ritual is a lie. They say the princess has already abandoned them and that the barrier will fail before morning."
Niña sat up straight. "Fear spreads faster than darkness sometimes."
Leafa's hand moved to her sword. "If the crowd turns violent, the guards may have to use force. That will only make the panic worse."
Sekai stood. The timer showed four hours and forty-nine minutes. "I will handle it."
Fury rose with him. "We will all go. Leaving you alone with a frightened crowd is a poor idea."
They reached the western gate in minutes. A dense mass of people pressed against the line of soldiers. Some shouted for answers. Others simply looked exhausted and afraid. At the front of the crowd a tall man in merchant clothes waved a torn scrap of paper and called out that the royal family had already fled, leaving the city to die.
The soldiers held their line, but the pressure was building. A thrown stone skipped off a shield. Another followed.
Sekai stepped forward before the situation could tip further.
He pressed the pause button.
The entire street locked in place. Shouting mouths froze open. Raised fists hung motionless. A second stone hovered in the air halfway between the crowd and the shields.
Sekai walked through the silent crowd and examined the man with the paper. The scrap was a crude forgery, written in a hurried hand that tried to imitate official script. Someone had deliberately seeded the rumor to create chaos inside the capital while the barrier was under strain.
He spent a careful stretch of stopped time moving through the frozen people. He gently lowered every raised weapon and stone. He repositioned the most aggressive members of the crowd farther back. Then he returned to the front, stood beside the frozen merchant, and released time.
The stone that had been hanging in the air simply dropped to the ground with a soft clack. The crowd blinked, suddenly less certain of its own momentum.
Sekai raised his voice just enough to carry. "The princess is still praying. The barrier is still holding. I saw both with my own eyes less than an hour ago. Anyone who claims otherwise is lying to you."
He held up the forged paper so the nearest people could see the crude handwriting. "This is not a royal message. Someone wants you afraid and divided. Do not give them what they want."
A low murmur moved through the crowd. The merchant's face flushed. He tried to speak, but the people around him had already begun to pull back. The soldiers adjusted their line with visible relief.
Prince Will arrived a moment later with additional guards. The situation cooled further under his presence and clear orders. The merchant was taken aside for questioning. The rest of the crowd slowly dispersed, some still worried, but no longer on the edge of violence.
As they walked back toward the underground chamber, Fury spoke quietly. "Someone is working against us from inside the city. The timing was too clean."
Sekai nodded. The timer now showed four hours and twelve minutes. "The King of Darkness does not only send monsters. He sends fear as well."
Leafa glanced at him. "You stopped an entire crowd without drawing a weapon."
"I prefer not to hurt people who are already scared," he answered.
They returned to Alicia's side. The golden light remained steady. Clau and Yelda reported no new pressure on the barrier during their absence. For the moment the capital held.
Sekai sat again and rested his head against the wall. Four hours. The next move from the King of Darkness would not be small. He could feel it in the way the air itself seemed to wait.
He kept the controller close and watched the soft glow around the princess, counting the minutes that remained.