Unknowingly, Aeternum Secret meetings with the 3 Ally nation news has reached the ears of the Princess Helen and Count Kabronel, Naturally the one that delivers the news were none other, the divided Duke Merrica. Who’s among the 3 were visibly in a bad mood, Unlike the Princess who barely know anything about the President and Aeternum, also the greedy Count Kabronel, who clearly know what Aeternum were capable of, yet undermined the small nation. Duke Merrica were upset that both of them still stood on their previous arrangement.
“...Helen….are you sure that you would want to go forward with this demand and these outrageous demands from the nobles….only to please them?…”. (Duke Merrica)
Seeing the straight back of her precious little sister in law, that he had been cared for as long as he can remember as his own little sister, made him worried and also disappointed at the same time.
I leaned back in the king’s chair. Order. That is the word that must echo through this city now. Not conquest, not occupation. Order.I already know how this story will be told by my enemies. They will call me a warmonger, a tyrant, a usurper. They will say I destroyed a kingdom. But no. The truth — the truth is that the kingdom destroyed itself long ago. I am merely cleaning up the corpse.Bina is in the west. Alessia in the east. Each of them stabilizing their conquered regions, cutting away the last remnants of Lone Star’s power. Here, in the capital, I take command directly. Not because I do not trust them — I trust them more than anyone — but because the fall of Star City must be under my eyes, my hands. The people must see my will imprinted here.I walk to the desk. On its surface, the royal seal sits beside a half-finished bottle of wine. I take the seal, turning it in my hand.“This once belonged to you, Halric,” I whispered to the empty room. “Now it belongs to me. And with i
The courtiers broke. One by one, they dropped to their knees, begging for mercy, their crowns and jewels clattering to the floor like insignificant baubles. Bina, ever efficient, barked orders, and they were seized, their pleas ignored. Alessia, her blades still dripping, led soldiers deeper into the palace to clear the last pockets of resistance, a cleansing flame.By the fifth hour, the palace was fully secured. The dungeons, once filled with the king’s enemies, now brimmed with his council, his loyalists, his sycophants.And atop the highest spire, the Lone Star flag, with its arrogant, solitary star, was lowered, slowly, ceremoniously. In its place, rising against the smoke-filled, triumphant sky, ascended the banner of Aeternum — stark, unyielding, gleaming. Its symbols, representing unity and equality, were a stark contrast to the fallen banner, a promise etched in the heavens.The war was over. Star City had fallen. And with it, the racist, supremacist, and utterly abhorrent Ki
“They’re not fleeing the city,” I murmured. “They’re bracing. Waiting for us.”It was not rebellion with banners and open blades. It was rebellion of silence, of refusal, of a people already turning their backs on their king. And that was louder than any uprising.Bina leaned over the map, eyes narrowing. “Silent cities are dangerous cities. Soldiers backed into corners do ugly things. If we don’t strike soon, they’ll start burning districts to smoke people out.”Alessia crossed her arms, crimson eyes catching the lamplight. “Then the people will hate them even more. Every fire will be another nail in Lone Star’s coffin.”I met her gaze. “We let them destroy their own throne room while we prepare the march. But no innocents burned. If even one fire spreads too far, we cut it out ourselves.”The room went still. My decree was final. The army could be ruthless, but it would not be barbaric. That distinction was why people begged for Aeternum’s banner instead of dreading it.That night,
“They’re not fleeing the city,” I murmured. “They’re bracing. Waiting for us.”It was not rebellion with banners and open blades. It was rebellion of silence, of refusal, of a people already turning their backs on their king. And that was louder than any uprising.Bina leaned over the map, eyes narrowing. “Silent cities are dangerous cities. Soldiers backed into corners do ugly things. If we don’t strike soon, they’ll start burning districts to smoke people out.”Alessia crossed her arms, crimson eyes catching the lamplight. “Then the people will hate them even more. Every fire will be another nail in Lone Star’s coffin.”I met her gaze. “We let them destroy their own throne room while we prepare the march. But no innocents burned. If even one fire spreads too far, we cut it out ourselves.”The room went still. My decree was final. The army could be ruthless, but it would not be barbaric. That distinction was why people begged for Aeternum’s banner instead of dreading it.That night,
“From our agents in the capital, Your Excellency.”I broke the seal. Inside were notes in cipher — food riots, hangings, nobles quarreling, whispers of rebellion. And at the bottom: The people await your hand.For a moment, I said nothing. Then I folded the paper and looked at Bina and Alessia. “They already see us as saviors. That is both gift and weight. When the gates open, we cannot stumble.”Bina smirked, the edge of a predator’s smile. “Then let’s make sure the gates open the way we want them to.”As the council dispersed, I lingered in the command room, staring at the map under the dim lantern light.Lone Star’s fate was sealed — not by the power of its king, but by his own blindness. His people no longer feared us; they feared him.I whispered, not for anyone else but myself: “We don’t conquer this city. We liberate it.”The words tasted heavy, like an oath. Soon the world would know whether I was right. Star City’s embers glowed hotter by the day, fanned by cruelty within and
Elijah adjusted her spectacles and tapped a supply route traced in crimson ink. “This road here is their artery. Once severed, Star City starves.”Bina’s voice cut like iron. “They’ll fight like cornered dogs. That makes them dangerous.”I let the silence linger before answering. “Then we smother the bite before it draws blood. No mercy for tyrants. But every kindness for the people. Mark me well: we are not here to burn a city, but to claim it whole. Our strength must inspire loyalty, not ashes.”They nodded, and I knew they understood. This was not conquest for glory. It was reclamation, shaping the world into something better.South of Star City, the Silvercross River shimmered like molten steel beneath the dawn light. Lone Star forces had entrenched themselves along its far bank, confident that the wide waters were a natural shield.At first light, Aeternum artillery shattered that illusion. Shells screamed across the river, tearing earthworks to pieces. Smoke rolled like a curtai