Redmere awoke to uncertainty. Smoke curled on the horizon, but it wasn’t from a single fire. Towns throughout the protectorate—Lindmere, Fairhaven, and Blackwater—were reporting simultaneous emergencies. Fires, floods, and sudden surges of unrest strained local militias, overwhelmed emergency responders, and sent citizens fleeing in terror.Edrin’s design was precise. He had carefully exploited the towns’ fractured loyalty, ensuring that trust in Adrian’s protectorate was uneven and that Selene’s shadow network could not respond to every incident without being exposed.Adrian’s StruggleAdrian stood atop Redmere’s battlements, scanning the horizon. Lantern signals flashed in all directions, each one a call for aid or a warning. Messengers arrived, breathless:Lindmere’s riverbanks had collapsed again, despite repairs.Fairhaven’s marketplace had erupted into riot after a minor dispute.Blackwater reported fires in residential districts, with families trapped.He’s forcing us to choose

The aftermath of the simultaneous crises hung over Redmere like a dark cloud. Smoke still curled from rooftops, floodwaters lapped at hastily repaired embankments, and the marketplace bore the scars of panic and fire. Citizens whispered in uneven tones—some grateful, others suspicious. The protectorate had acted, but public trust was now a fragile commodity.Inside the war council chamber, Adrian stood rigidly by the map table, fingers pressed to its surface. Selene leaned against a wall, arms crossed, her eyes sharp, body tense. Silence stretched between them, heavier than any smoke-filled air outside.The towns are safe—for now, Adrian thought grimly.But what have we sacrificed in the process? And can we survive the next move?The Confrontation BeginsAdrian broke the silence first. “Selene, your public intervention exposed the network. The people saw you acting independently. The council saw you bypassing protocol. This isn’t about saving lives—it’s about perception now. And perce

The sun rose over the protectorate, but its light revealed more cracks than clarity. Fires were smoldering, levees strained, and citizens walked streets with suspicion written across their faces. The rapid, morally compromising decisions Adrian and Selene had made to stop simultaneous disasters had saved thousands of lives, but at a heavy cost.Redmere: Authority QuestionedIn Redmere, Adrian had ordered controlled demolitions to prevent a fire from spreading into crowded districts. The buildings that collapsed were mostly empty—but news spread of families narrowly escaping, sparking rumors of reckless authority.Citizens whispered as they passed the rubble:“Did he really have to destroy so much?”“The king is supposed to protect us, not our property.”“I saved a few lives, yes, but at what cost?”Even loyal councilors questioned his judgment. Adrian, standing atop a temporary command platform, watched his people’s uncertain gazes and realized saving lives had made him vulnerable in

The morning sun rose over Redmere, but its light did little to dispel the tension thick in the air. Citizens still whispered of Lindmere’s floods, Fairhaven’s riots, and Redmere’s fires, debating which leader had failed—or succeeded. Adrian and Selene had barely caught their breath before Edrin struck again, this time with a spectacle designed to fracture both public perception and the leaders’ fragile trust.Edrin’s Public StrikeFrom a hidden vantage point outside Redmere, Edrin orchestrated the crisis with meticulous precision. Flags bearing his symbol—a black spiral entwined with a crimson flame—were raised across the central square. Crowds gathered, curious and nervous, as his agents ignited a sequence of controlled fires around the city’s market districts. Smoke spiraled into the sky, curling around statues and monuments, creating an unnerving visual: a city literally engulfed in chaos around its heart of governance.The spectacle must be undeniable, Edrin murmured. Let every ci

The message arrived at dawn.Not one message—six.Six towns. Six councils. Six crises, unfolding not sequentially, but at once.Adrian stood over the strategy table as the reports were read aloud, his expression hardening with each word.Stonecross: A council had voted to expel protectorate forces, citing “loss of legitimacy.” Armed civilians now guarded the gates.Valeport: A dockworkers’ strike had turned violent after pamphlets accused Adrian of hoarding grain under military rule.Hearthrun: A healer commune loyal to Selene had been publicly accused of treason—and their leader arrested by local magistrates.Greywake: A false prophecy, attributed to Selene, had spread overnight, warning of “divine punishment” unless the town rejected centralized rule.Brightmere: Two rival councils had formed—one pledging loyalty to Adrian, the other openly aligned with Edrin’s ideology.And Redmere itself: Crowds were gathering again. Not in panic this time—but in judgment.Kael finished reading an