THE WAR THAT FOLLOWED ME

CHAPTER 7: THE WEIGHT OF BEING CHOSEN

The sky over New Ardent did not darken naturally.

It dimmed as if something immense had passed between the city and the sun—an unseen hand lowering a veil. Vaelith dropships cut through the clouds in precise formations, but above them, farther out, unfamiliar silhouettes moved like patient predators.

Three factions.

Three intentions.

And one planet caught between them.

Kade Reyes stood at the edge of the transit hub’s roof, watching contrails slice the atmosphere. For the first time in his life, he didn’t know where the next blow would land or who would strike it.

No relic.

No prophecy.

No safety net.

Just responsibility.

The City Turns to Him

They didn’t call him a leader at first.

They didn’t need to.

It started with looks. With quiet pauses in conversation when he entered a room. With messengers asking what he thought, what he wanted done, whether he believed they could hold the next district.

Kade hated it.

He moved through the hub like a ghost, ignoring the way people straightened when they saw him, how arguments stopped mid-sentence. He wasn’t a symbol by choice but choice didn’t matter anymore.

Mila caught up to him near the eastern stairwell.

“You can’t keep avoiding them,” she said.

“I’m not avoiding,” Kade replied. “I’m breathing.”

She didn’t smile. “The city’s looking for direction.”

“Then give it one.”

“I did,” she said. “They asked for you.”

That hit harder than any alien weapon.

Kade leaned against the wall, scrubbing a hand down his face. “I never wanted this.”

“I know,” Mila said quietly. “That’s why it matters.”

The Council’s Gambit

Far above the city, in a fortified arcology untouched by the invasion’s worst damage, the remaining members of the Global Council convened.

Fear sat heavy in the chamber.

“He’s destabilizing everything,” Councilor Bren said, slamming his palm on the table. “First the relic, now interstellar attention? This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

Another councilor leaned forward. “The Concord has already issued warnings. If we don’t rein him in, they might.”

A third voice cut in, smooth and calculated. “Then perhaps we should act first.”

Silence followed.

A plan took shape.

Not against the Vaelith.

Against Kade Reyes.

The message went live without warning.

Every public screen in New Ardent flickered, overriding emergency alerts.

Kade’s face appeared—recorded, spliced, altered.

“accept responsibility for the escalation,” the fake Kade said. “Earth must submit to interstellar governance to prevent annihilation.”

Murmurs rippled through the hub.

“What?” Rashid whispered.

Mila’s blood ran cold. “That’s not real.”

But the damage was done.

Outside, confusion spread. Fear twisted into anger. Some saw betrayal. Others saw confirmation of what they’d feared all along—that Kade was no longer human enough to trust.

Kade stared at the screen in disbelief.

“They’re trying to turn the city against me,” he said.

Elira Voss clenched her jaw. “No. They’re trying to isolate you.”

The difference mattered.

The Enemy Moves Closer

As unrest grew, the Vaelith struck again but not with brute force.

Their commander appeared across multiple channels, calm as ever.

“You resist governance,” it said. “Yet your own leaders deceive you.”

The irony burned.

“We will offer an order,” the commander continued. “Not through domination but integration.”

Integration.

The word sent chills through Mila’s spine.

“They’re offering a deal,” she whispered. “To the council.”

Kade’s hands curled into fists. “They’re playing everyone.”

“And winning,” Rashid said grimly.

The Concord Reveals Its Hand

Envoy Serex returned—this time not as a request, but a warning.

“The probability of planetary fracture has exceeded acceptable thresholds,” it announced. “The Concord will intervene.”

Kade stepped forward. “You said you preferred stability.”

“We do,” Serex replied. “And stability now requires removal of uncontrolled variables.”

The meaning was unmistakable.

Mila felt a surge of panic. “They’re talking about you.”

“No,” Kade said slowly. “They’re talking about us.”

Serex’s gaze sharpened. “Your species is at a crossroads. Governance ensures survival. Autonomy ensures chaos.”

“Then chaos is,” Kade said.

For the first time, Serex hesitated.

The Choice That Splits Humanity

That night, the city fractured.

Some districts rallied behind Kade openly, broadcasting resistance signals and defying council orders.

Others sided with the council, demanding surrender to interstellar authority.

Families argued. Friends turned away from each other. Humanity’s oldest weakness—division—rose again.

Kade walked the streets alone, watching it happen.

This was the cost the relic had never shown him.

Freedom wasn’t clean.

It hurt.

Mila found him near the ruins of the old financial district.

“You can still step back,” she said softly. “Let someone else carry this.”

Kade shook his head. “They won’t stop.”

She swallowed. “Then what do we do?”

He looked up at the sky, at the overlapping shadows of alien fleets and unknown watchers.

“We choose,” he said. “And we accept the consequences.”

Cliffhanger – The Shot Heard Across the City

The sound cracked through the night.

A single gunshot.

Kade staggered as pain exploded through his side. He hit the ground hard, breath knocked from his lungs.

Mila screamed his name.

Elira drew her weapon, scanning rooftops. “Sniper!”

Blood pooled beneath Kade as he struggled to stay conscious.

Above them, council drones broadcast an emergency declaration:

“Kade Reyes is hereby declared an enemy of planetary stability.”

As Mila pressed her hands against his wound, shaking, Kade forced a smile.

“Guess,” he rasped, “they’ve made their choice.”

The city held its breath.

The war had just become human.