[Later That Night]
[Royal War Chamber]
[Dean POV]
The first council held under my new authority had already been going for half an hour, and most of that time had been wasted on arguments nobody in the room could prove. Some of the nobles wanted the Federation blamed for the assault before the dead had even been counted. Others wanted the capital sealed and every soldier pulled away from the borders. A third group seemed convinced that doing nothing would somehow keep the treaty intact.
I let them speak until the same points began repeating, then placed my hand on the table. I did not need to strike it. The room quieted as soon as I stood.
"We do not have proof that the Federation ordered today's attack," I said. "What we have is a coordinated angel assault, increased Church and cult activity, and Federation forces gathering near our territory. That is enough to prepare for war. It is not enough to invent evidence."
Lord Halden shifted in his chair. "Then you expect us to sit here while the people responsible escape?"
"I expect you to provide soldiers, supplies, and accurate reports. Retaliation comes after we know whom we are striking."
That answer did not satisfy him, but it stopped him from shouting. I looked around the table before continuing. Every major house in the central region had sent someone, although a few had chosen representatives instead of appearing themselves. Ann sat near the far end, watching the room with more interest than she had shown during the earlier arguments. Hugo Boei was present as the head of House Boei and, unlike several older nobles, had brought complete records of the forces and equipment available under the house's command.
"The casualty count is still provisional," I said. "Military losses are heavy. Civilian losses are lower than they could have been, but they are not insignificant. Search teams are still clearing the fortress and the districts surrounding the tournament grounds. Funerals will begin in three days, once the dead have been identified."
The discomfort around the table was quieter this time. Good. They could feel guilty later. Right now, I needed them useful.
"All Black Ops detachments assigned to central noble houses are being recalled. Their contracts allow it during a national emergency, and today qualifies. Those units will return to their commands, replace losses where possible, and reinforce threatened regions."
Halden leaned forward. "Our estates were promised protection."
"Your household troops remain yours. Black Ops does not."
"And if we refuse to release them?"
"You will not."
I kept my voice even, and after a moment, he sat back.
"Each house will submit an updated count of combat personnel, healers, transport, food reserves, mana supplies, and usable weapons by tomorrow evening. Border commands are moving to full readiness. No one crosses into Federation territory without royal approval, and no one starts a private conflict in the King's name."
The Prime Minister had remained silent until then. He looked exhausted, but his attention had not drifted once. "The King still wants the treaty preserved if possible."
"So do I," I replied. "Preparing to defend Daragon does not break it. If the Federation is not involved, our restraint gives them no excuse. If they are involved, empty borders will not save us."
Count Reval folded his hands. "What of the Beast and Demon Kingdoms?"
"We send formal notices describing the attack without assigning blame. We ask whether they have seen similar Church, angel, or cult movements. Until they answer, no one in this room will speak of them as enemies."
That ended the loudest objection. I gave the remaining orders: the wounded were to receive treatment before rank or house was considered; the capital guard would secure the damaged districts; divine remains, angel weapons, and abandoned equipment would be collected for study; every border command would be alerted; and the senior military officers would return for a smaller strategy council after the first reports arrived.
"This meeting is finished," I said. "Written orders will reach your houses before dawn. Hugo, remain available in case we need clarification on your records. Prime Minister, Ann, stay."
The nobles left in small groups. Some whispered as they went, but none challenged the orders again. Hugo gave me a short nod before leaving with the rest, apparently understanding that remaining available did not mean joining the private discussion.
When the doors closed, the Prime Minister lowered himself into a chair. "You handled them better than I expected."
"That almost sounded like praise."
"It was an observation." He rubbed at the dried blood on one sleeve. Most of it belonged to the King. "The coastal commands will ask for more soldiers once they hear about the recall."
"Give them enough to increase patrols, but do not weaken the capital again. I will decide on further deployments when the first regional reports arrive."
He nodded, then looked toward Ann. "Is that why she stayed?"
"No." I waited until Ann stopped pretending not to listen. "Who has been getting close to the King?"
Her expression sharpened. "A young woman he calls Rose. It is not her real name. She claims to belong to a small noble house, but I have not verified which one."
"How long?"
"A few months in public. Possibly longer in private. I have not found proof that she influenced today's decisions or has any connection to the attack."
"Then do not treat her as guilty," I said. "Find out who she is, who introduced her, and why her history is so difficult to confirm. Quietly."
Ann pushed away from the table. "Politics again."
"Investigation," I corrected. "The politics begin if you find something."
The Prime Minister gave a tired sigh. "And what do I tell the King?"
"The truth. The capital is being secured, the wounded are receiving treatment, and the Kingdom is preparing without declaring a war. He is still the sovereign. I am carrying the military burden he assigned to me."
For the first time that night, some of the tension left his shoulders. He stood and gathered the reports in front of him. "I can work with that."
"Good. We have until dawn before the next meeting. Use it."
[Dead Forest — Fran's Cave]
[Kitsuna POV]
I woke in the green restoration pool with pain crawling through every part of me. It was not sharp enough to make me scream. That would have been easier. It sat beneath my skin, inside my bones and deeper than either, as if my soul had been rubbed raw and forced back into a body that no longer fit.
Fran lay in her cat form on the ledge beside the pool, one eye open.
"How long was I out?" I asked.
"Most of the day."
I tried to sit higher and immediately regretted it. Even that small movement made the green fluid tremble around me. "It feels longer."
"You kept Wrath active for six minutes. That means six months of pain, and you received the final memories and damage from your clones on top of it. The pool can repair the spiritual harm faster. It cannot cancel what you owe."
I closed my eyes. The capital returned in broken pieces: Logan dying, the divine bodies exchanging power, my final clone being destroyed, my own tails multiplying, and the strongest copy taking my head before escaping. None of the memories felt second-hand. They had all happened to me because, in every way that mattered, they had.
"Did we win?"
"You survived. Two divine bodies did not. The strongest one escaped with the remaining angels. Call that whatever you want."
"I'll call it annoying."
Fran's tail moved once. "You can be annoyed after your mana veins stop tearing whenever your core tries to move power through them."
I opened my eyes again. "How bad?"
"Bad enough that you are staying here for approximately three weeks. The damage to your body will recover first. Your soul will take longer, and deliberate mana use will still be unsafe when I allow you to leave."
"No portals?"
"No portals, no created weapons, no spells, and no Wrath. If you try any of them before I clear you, I will put you back in this pool myself."
That killed the argument before it reached my mouth. I sank until the fluid covered my shoulders.
"A war might start while I'm stuck here."
"It might," Fran said. "The Federation has been gathering forces, the Church is moving, and the divine bodies are sharing more than power. If the countries around them react badly, this will spread beyond the four kingdoms you know best."
"You think it could become a world war."
"I think enough old grudges and frightened rulers can turn any large conflict into one. I have lived through it before."
I stared at the glowing surface of the pool. There was nothing I could do from inside it, and trying would only keep me there longer.
"Three weeks," I muttered.
"Approximately."
"I hate that word."
"Then recover faster without using mana."
I looked up at her, but Fran had already closed her eye.
[Draig Border Estate]
[Stacy POV]
By the time the capital orders reached our border estate, Kayda had already doubled the patrols. Maps covered the main table, along with reports from the central units returning to military control. Colored markers showed every active squad, rest post, supply depot, and section that had failed to report since the assault.
Kayda stood across from me while Kira waited beside her. Both looked tired, but neither had stopped working.
"Patrols are operating in pairs," Kayda said. "Four-hour shifts until we know whether the capital attack was the start of something larger. Every soldier has a tracker, and the rapid-response teams are positioned near the highest-risk crossings."
"Keep enough people resting to replace them," I said. "Exhausted soldiers miss obvious threats."
Kira nodded. "The recalled central forces are arriving in groups. We are checking their equipment before assigning them. Some were used as noble guards for so long that they need field drills before I trust them outside the estate."
"Give them short drills and pair them with active units. Do not punish them for where they were posted."
"Understood."
I studied the map, then tapped two quiet sectors near the forest. "Send scouts here and here. Observation only. If they find Church markings, angel activity, or unfamiliar Federation units, they report and withdraw."
Kayda's jaw tightened at the mention of the angels. She had regained control after Fran vanished with Kitsuna, but the anger had not gone anywhere.
"The twins are settled," Kira added. "Nekro's demon power is stabilizing as well, although she is still angry with Apricot for leaving without warning."
"Let her be angry," I said. "Just make sure she keeps training safely. We will deal with Apricot when we have time to deal with it properly."
Kira acknowledged the order and left to meet the latest returning unit. Once the door closed, Kayda looked at me.
"Fran said a few weeks."
"Approximately three," I replied.
"And after that?"
"Kitsuna comes home when Fran decides she can survive the walk out. Until then, we do our jobs."
Kayda rested both hands against the table and looked down at the reports. "She is going to hate being unable to use mana."
"She can complain after she gets back."
That earned the faintest smile from her, but it disappeared when another messenger knocked and entered with a sealed report from the northern patrol. I took it, broke the wax, and read the first page while Kayda waited.
Nothing had crossed the border yet. More camps had appeared on the Federation side, and supply wagons were moving toward them under heavy guard.
"Dean was right," I said, passing the report to her. "They are preparing."
Kayda read it once and placed it beside the map. "Then so are we."
I looked over the growing stack of orders and reports. Kitsuna had approximately three weeks to recover. We had less than a night to prepare the border.