The order went out at dawn.Not debated.Not voted on.Not softened by ceremony.By the time the sun crested the eastern hills, Adrian’s seal had already reached twelve cities and every free settlement within two days’ ride.Emergency Protectorate Mandate—Immediate enforcement of resource stabilization—Mediators authorized to act without request—Local councils suspended during crisis conditions—Noncompliance treated as active endangermentKael read the final line twice before folding the parchment.“This ends the experiment,” he said quietly.Adrian did not look up from the map spread across the table.“No,” he replied. “It keeps people alive long enough to learn from it.”Outside the war room, boots moved in disciplined rhythm. Not an army. A presence. Visible. Intentional.A reminder.The First OverrideThe town of Greymarch was next.Grain stores low. River access contested. Two factions already arming themselves behind the language of process.Adrian arrived before the vote.T

Redhaven burned quietly.That was the cruelest part.By the time Adrian reached its outer fields, the fires had already eaten themselves thin, leaving behind blackened ribs of timber and the low, stunned moans of survivors who hadn’t yet realized what they had lost. Smoke drifted like a funeral veil across the valley, and the bells—once used to call farmers home at dusk—lay cracked and silent in the square.Adrian dismounted before the soldiers could announce him.He didn’t want ceremony.He didn’t deserve it.“Secure the perimeter,” he ordered Kael, his voice hoarse. “No one leaves until the wounded are counted.”Kael hesitated. “Majesty… the reports said the uprising began three nights ago. The messenger was delayed.”Three nights.Adrian closed his eyes for half a breath.Three nights ago, he had chosen restraint.Three nights ago, he had let Selene’s gamble stand elsewhere.Now Redhaven lay gutted.He walked the streets alone.Doors hung open, broken inward. A bakery lay collapsed

The amphitheater in Highmarch was filled to the brim.Merchants, farmers, ex-soldiers, and mediators alike pressed shoulder to shoulder on the worn stone benches. The sun had just crested the spires of the city, burning the morning mist into pale gold. Somewhere far below, a town still reeling from the Redhaven tragedy waited, watching.Selene stepped onto the raised platform alone. No crown. No ceremonial robes. Only a cloak of deep gray, trimmed in black, clasped at her shoulder. Her hands were steady, though her heart hammered like a war drum.She had come to denounce Edrin.And in doing so, she would hand Adrian legitimacy he had not yet earned.The murmurs quieted as she raised a hand.“I have come to speak to you about trust, authority, and survival,” she began. Her voice carried clearly across the square. “And about a man who claims to lead by freedom, yet leaves you at the mercy of chance.”A ripple went through the crowd.Edrin’s name drew both curiosity and fear. Whispers tr

Selene arrived at Ashford Hollow just as dusk was settling, painting the fields in bruised purples and gold. Smoke from last week’s fires lingered in the distance, curling lazily over the treeline. The town had been one of the first under Adrian’s protectorate, stabilized after a week of patrols, councils, and supply oversight.And now, Selene’s heart sank as she saw the subtle decay.The market square was quiet, unnaturally so. Merchants huddled behind closed shutters. Townsfolk whispered in tight circles, casting fearful glances toward the patrolling soldiers who stood rigid but disconnected.She had heard the rumors: Edrin’s hand was inside the community—whispering, nudging, undermining trust. And unless she acted, the protectorate’s careful structure would collapse.The Desperate PlanSelene convened the town council in the crumbling town hall. The guards were stationed just outside, unarmed but vigilant.“I need your attention,” she began, her voice carrying the weight of command

Smoke rose from the northern towns like dark, twisting fingers. Ash and embers mingled with the morning mist, coloring the horizon in a grim palette.Adrian rode at the head of his mounted patrol, his black coat trailing behind him. Kael flanked his side, sword loose but ready. Beside them, Selene rode with calm determination, though the tension between them was thick enough to choke.“Three towns are failing simultaneously,” Kael said grimly. “Blackwater Hollow, Hollowridge, and Ashbrook. Every patrol report shows confusion, mismanagement… and in some cases, armed conflict among citizens.”Selene’s jaw tightened. “Edrin has moved from whispers to orchestration. This is no longer subtle. He’s coordinating the chaos.”Adrian’s eyes narrowed. “And each town is under the protectorate. That means he’s exploiting the system itself.”The weight of the realization pressed down on them. Edrin had turned Adrian’s greatest strength—his shield of authority and order—into a vulnerability.The Fir