The first tremor struck at midnight.
It wasn't violent.
It wasn't destructive.
It was precise.
Across the eastern quadrant of the capital, mana lanterns flickered simultaneously — then went dark.
For exactly three seconds.
Then they reignited.
Most citizens barely noticed.
But in the palace—
Arthur opened his eyes instantly.
He had not been asleep.
Mana in the capital pulsed irregularly.
Not random fluctuation.
Interference.
He stood from his desk slowly.
Golden mana spread outward from him in a controlled wave, expanding across the palace walls like an invisible net.
He felt it.
A tug.
Subtle.
From the eastern district.
He smiled faintly.
"Phase two."
A knock came immediately.
Darius entered without waiting.
"You felt it."
"Yes."
"Eastern quadrant."
"Yes."
Seraphina followed moments later, expression sharp.
"Multiple mana spikes reported. No structural damage yet."
Arthur moved toward the map.
"Not yet," he repeated.
He placed his palm flat against the table.
Mana flowed into the crystal orb above it.
The capital's mana grid illuminated in golden threads.
Then—
He saw it.
A distortion.
Not an explosion.
A siphon.
Mana from surrounding areas was being drawn toward a single point.
Not violently.
Gradually.
"Not detonation," Arthur murmured.
Darius frowned.
"Then what?"
Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Resonance amplification."
Seraphina's expression changed.
"You think they're building an array within the capital?"
"Yes."
"And using the city's own mana network to power it."
Silence fell.
That was bold.
And intelligent.
Arthur straightened.
"Dispatch silent squads. No banners. No announcements."
Darius nodded instantly.
"Target?"
"Eastern lower merchant district."
Seraphina blinked.
"Lower?"
Arthur nodded.
"They wouldn't place it in noble territory. Too visible."
He turned toward her.
"Seal eastern gates quietly. No public panic."
She moved immediately.
Arthur stepped toward the balcony.
The city glittered under moonlight.
Calm.
Unaware.
He extended his senses again.
This time deeper.
He followed the mana flow.
Through alleyways.
Under streets.
Below foundations.
And there—
He found it.
A circular formation beneath an abandoned warehouse.
Mana crystals embedded in layered geometry.
Runes etched into stone.
Incomplete.
But active.
Arthur's golden eyes sharpened.
"They're not targeting me."
Darius paused mid-step.
"Then what?"
Arthur's voice cooled.
"They're targeting perception."
—
Minutes later.
Arthur arrived at the eastern district rooftop silently.
No entourage.
No royal display.
Just him.
Below, hidden beneath stone flooring, the array pulsed faintly.
He observed it carefully.
This was not crude.
This was layered design.
Outer ring: mana siphon.
Middle ring: resonance stabilizer.
Inner ring—
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
"A mirror sigil."
Darius joined him on the rooftop.
"What does that mean?"
Arthur replied quietly.
"They want my mana."
Silence.
Darius stiffened.
"They're planning to draw you into activating it."
"Yes."
If Arthur reacted explosively—
If he released overwhelming mana to shut it down—
The mirror sigil would capture the signature.
Copy it.
Store it.
Arthur's eyes gleamed faintly.
"They want data."
Seraphina arrived seconds later.
"The squads are in position."
Arthur nodded.
"Do not engage yet."
She studied the array below.
"They're baiting you."
"Yes."
Darius clenched his jaw.
"So what do we do?"
Arthur smiled faintly.
"We give them something."
He stepped off the rooftop.
Landed silently in the alley below.
Darius tensed.
"Brother—"
Arthur raised a hand.
"Do not interfere."
He walked toward the warehouse calmly.
Inside—
Five cloaked figures were maintaining the array.
They looked up simultaneously.
Shock flickered in their eyes.
He had arrived too quickly.
Arthur stepped into the center of the warehouse.
He did not release overwhelming mana.
Instead—
He condensed it.
Slowly.
Controlled.
He allowed only a narrow stream of golden energy to pulse outward.
Just enough to trigger the mirror sigil.
The array activated instantly.
Runes flared purple.
Mana threads latched onto his aura.
Arthur did not resist.
He let them collect it.
Above, hidden in the shadows of a distant rooftop—
A masked observer watched.
"Now," the observer whispered.
Within the array—
The mirror sigil began copying his mana structure.
But something unexpected happened.
Arthur altered his internal flow mid-process.
He inverted polarity within his mana circulation.
Not visibly.
Not explosively.
Subtly.
The mirror sigil faltered.
Purple light flickered erratically.
The cloaked figures panicked.
"It's destabilizing!"
"Maintain the outer ring!"
Arthur's golden eyes gleamed.
"You wanted my signature."
He stepped forward.
"I'll give you a false one."
The array suddenly screeched — a high-pitched resonance tearing through the warehouse.
Instead of copying his true mana core—
It captured a distorted, fragmented pattern.
A pattern mimicking instability.
The cloaked figures realized too late.
"This isn't—"
The array imploded.
Not outward.
Inward.
Crushing the formation silently.
Arthur moved instantly.
Five strikes.
Five precise mana-infused blows.
No wasted motion.
No explosion.
Just unconscious bodies collapsing to the floor.
He looked toward the rooftop where the masked observer had been.
Empty.
They had retreated.
Good.
He had wanted that.
Darius rushed inside moments later.
"You let them activate it."
"Yes."
Seraphina entered behind him.
"You allowed capture."
Arthur nodded.
"But not truth."
He looked at the destroyed array.
"They now believe my mana core remains fractured."
Darius blinked.
"You showed weakness on purpose?"
Arthur's lips curved faintly.
"Perceived weakness invites movement."
Seraphina understood immediately.
"You're drawing the upper layer out."
"Yes."
Tonight wasn't meant to stop the scheme.
It was meant to send information back to whoever stood above Roderic.
Arthur stepped outside.
The eastern district remained calm.
No explosion.
No civilian harm.
No public panic.
Just a flicker in the night sky.
He looked up at the stars.
"They're building something larger."
Seraphina nodded.
"Then we escalate?"
Arthur shook his head.
"No."
He turned toward the palace.
"We observe."
Because major enemies did not reveal themselves from panic.
They revealed themselves from confidence.
And tonight—
Arthur had given them exactly what they wanted to see.
A prodigy still flawed.
Still cracked.
Still destabilized.
He smiled faintly as he walked.
"Let them believe it."
Somewhere in the darkness, a crimson-cloaked figure studied the distorted mana imprint preserved in a crystal device.
The figure's voice was calm.
"So the crack persists."
A subordinate bowed.
"Yes."
The figure turned toward a massive incomplete structure deeper within their hidden base.
"Proceed to phase three."
And this time—
They would not aim to injure.
They would aim to fracture the empire itself.
—
Back in his chamber.
Arthur stood before the mirror once more.
Mana flowed steadily.
Stable.
Controlled.
He touched his chest lightly.
The crack remained.
But tonight—
It had become a weapon.
He looked at his reflection calmly.
"The game widens."
And this time—
He was not reacting to it.
He was shaping it.