Down in the sand, little Elin looked at Everett. She cried quietly. The other hostages muttered to each other in fear. Solenne’s words were powerful. They twisted the truth so perfectly."The world was dying!" Solenne cried out to the cameras. "Before the Sovereign Council, humans fought like wild dogs! Millions died in meaningless wars because anyone with a sword wanted to be a king! The System gave us the Bloodline Authority to save you!"Solenne swept her arm backward, pointing at the hundreds of noble children standing proudly behind her."Look at our heirs!" Solenne declared proudly. "They are born with the power to protect you! They are educated from birth to lead you! With Bloodline Authority, there are no more messy wars for the throne. Everyone knows their place. The strong rule with wisdom, and the weak are kept safe and fed! Bloodline authority guarantees stability!"The noble lords in the stands erupted into loud, cheering applause. They clapped their hands. The noble chil

The blinding explosion of white and gold light at the Grand Colosseum did not destroy the world. It did not erase the sky.Instead, the massive clash of energy had broken the System’s connection to the capital city. The heavy, dark purple clouds had melted away. The laser cannons had shut down. The noble lords, terrified by the raw power of a single man, had run back into their high towers to hide.That was one month ago.Now, the world was different. It was not a perfect world. It was messy, broken, and scared. But it was awake.In the center of the newly freed city of Sunforge, a young boy named Leo stood in the dirty street. He was holding a small bucket of bright blue paint. He looked up at a massive, broken brick wall.On the wall, a giant painting was forming. It was a mural. It was fifty feet tall.Dozens of people were standing on wooden ladders, painting the wall with cheap brushes and old rags. They were painting a picture of a man.The man in the painting was huge. He wore

General Rusk walked over to the giant wall behind the stage. He pulled a large cloth away, revealing a massive, beautiful painting. It was a painting of Everett, holding a sword dripping with red blood, standing on top of a mountain of dead Paladins. Under the painting, thick white letters read: NO MERCY FOR THE CROWN.Everett stared at the painting. His stomach twisted into a tight, sick knot."The Man in the Sky showed us the way!" Rusk yelled, turning back to the terrified nobles. "Everett did not ask for peace! Everett took his sword and chopped the elite guards into pieces! He told us that power must be earned in blood! Today, we earn our freedom!"General Rusk raised his rusty sword high above the head of one of the crying teenage boys."In the holy name of Everett the Destroyer!" Rusk roared. "I sentence you to death!"The boy screamed and closed his eyes."NO!" a voice thundered through the hall. The voice was so loud, so deep, and so full of absolute command that the entire

The underground bunker was completely quiet. It was the middle of the night. The air was cold. The only sound was the soft humming of Rae’s six computer screens.Everett sat in a dark corner. He held a small piece of cloth. He was slowly wiping the dirt off his heavy chain-sword. He did not speak. He had not spoken a word since he saw the giant, perfect statue of himself in the city of Sunforge.Rae was sitting at her desk. She was drinking cold, synthetic coffee. She stared at the bright green code moving across her monitors. Her face looked very tired. The dark circles under her eyes were heavy."Everett," Rae whispered. Her voice broke the silence like a dropped glass.Everett did not look up. He kept wiping his sword. "What is it, Rae?""I am reading the network data," Rae said. She pushed her glasses up her nose. Her hands were shaking just a little bit. "The System is recording a massive shift in human behavior. It is happening everywhere. In the ruined cities, in the refugee ca

Brother Cael raised his hands to quiet them down. "The Man in the Sky showed no mercy to the corrupt!" Brother Cael preached. He reached into his white robe. He pulled out a long, sharp steel knife. "When Everett faced the Bloodline Guards, he did not forgive them! He chopped them into pieces! He taught us that weakness is a sin! We must enforce His moral laws, or the System will punish us all again!"Brother Cael stepped closer to the crying boy. He held the sharp knife high in the air so the torches could shine light on the metal blade."For the crime of stealing," Brother Cael announced coldly, "and for the crime of acting like a greedy noble, the Path demands payment. We will take your right hand, Tomas. So you may never steal from your brothers again."The boy screamed in pure terror. He tried to scramble away, but the four heavy guards stepped on his legs and grabbed his arms, pinning him flat against the wooden stage. One guard stretched the boy's right arm out tightly.Brother