The Festival of Dawn ended.
The music faded.
The lights disappeared.
The visitors returned home.
And Novaris slowly settled back into its normal rhythm.
For most people, the celebration had been a reminder of how far humanity had come.
For Kaien, however, it had become a reminder of something else.
Peace was fragile.
Not because enemies still existed.
Not because another war was approaching.
But because people slowly forgot how much had been sacrificed to achieve it.
The festival had shown him countless smiling faces.
Families.
Children.
Dreamers.
People planning futures that stretched decades ahead.
That was good.
That was exactly what he wanted.
Yet a small part of him couldn't help noticing something.
The younger generation no longer truly understood the cost of peace.
And perhaps that was inevitable.
Perhaps that was even necessary.
Still, the thought lingered in his mind.
Several weeks passed after the festival.
Reconstruction projects continued progressing steadily across Dominion.
Agricultural production exceeded expectations.
Trade routes expanded.
New settlements were approved almost every month.
Everything appeared stable.
Too stable.
At least according to Kaien's instincts.
His instincts had saved his life countless times.
Across every lifetime.
As Karna.
As Aditya.
As Arin.
And now as Kaien.
Whenever everything seemed perfect—
something usually wasn't.
That feeling eventually led him toward one of the outer development sectors west of Novaris.
Nothing alarming had been reported.
No emergencies.
No crises.
No corruption scandals.
He simply wanted to see the region personally.
Sometimes the best way to understand a situation was walking through it yourself.
Naturally, Nyra and Lyss accompanied him.
Neither trusted him to travel alone anymore.
Not because he needed protection.
The opposite.
Whenever Kaien went somewhere alone, he inevitably found work.
And whenever he found work, he forgot things like eating and sleeping.
The settlement they visited was relatively new.
Only three years old.
Built after the war to accommodate displaced populations and growing industries.
At first glance, everything appeared successful.
The streets were clean.
Businesses were thriving.
Construction projects remained on schedule.
People seemed happy.
Yet Kaien immediately noticed something strange.
People stopped talking when certain individuals walked past.
Not everyone.
Just some.
Merchants.
Workers.
Residents.
The reaction was subtle.
Almost invisible.
But it existed.
Kaien spent the next two days investigating quietly.
No announcements.
No inspections.
No official inquiries.
Just observation.
And eventually—
he found the problem.
It wasn't corruption.
Not exactly.
A group of influential local businessmen had begun controlling nearly every major industry within the settlement.
Legally.
Technically.
Every contract was legitimate.
Every transaction followed regulations.
Nothing violated the law.
Yet the result was obvious.
People depended on them.
Too much.
Housing.
Employment.
Transportation.
Supplies.
Entire sectors of the settlement had become tied to a handful of individuals.
They weren't criminals.
They weren't stealing.
They weren't abusing authority openly.
Yet they were creating something dangerous.
A system where ordinary people slowly lost freedom without realizing it.
The discovery troubled Kaien more than expected.
Because unlike corruption, this wasn't something he could simply remove.
These individuals hadn't broken any laws.
Punishing them would be unjust.
Ignoring them would be irresponsible.
It was a far more difficult problem.
That evening, Kaien sat alone overlooking the settlement from a nearby hill.
The city lights stretched across the darkness below.
Nyra eventually joined him.
A few minutes later, Lyss arrived carrying drinks.
Neither interrupted his thoughts.
They simply sat beside him.
Waiting.
Eventually Nyra spoke.
"You found something."
Kaien nodded.
"What kind of problem?"
"The annoying kind."
Both women immediately understood.
The dangerous problems were usually easier.
You fought them.
Solved them.
Moved on.
The annoying problems required thought.
Kaien spent several minutes watching the city before speaking again.
"The settlement is succeeding."
Nyra frowned slightly.
"That doesn't sound like a problem."
"It isn't."
He remained silent briefly.
"But the people running it are becoming too important."
The twins exchanged glances.
Kaien continued.
"When enough power gathers in one place, eventually someone starts believing it belongs to them."
That lesson was older than civilization itself.
Kings.
Governments.
Organizations.
Corporations.
It didn't matter.
Human nature remained remarkably consistent.
Lyss leaned back against the grass.
"So what are you going to do?"
Kaien didn't answer immediately.
Because for once—
he genuinely wasn't sure.
As Karna, most problems had been solved through strength.
As Aditya, survival often demanded decisive action.
As Arin, there was rarely time for complicated solutions.
But Kaien's current life was different.
Leadership during peace required patience.
A sword couldn't solve every problem.
Neither could authority.
Sometimes the answer required building something better.
That realization stayed with him throughout the night.
And by morning—
he finally had an idea.
Over the following months, Kaien introduced several reforms across Dominion.
Not targeting anyone specifically.
Not accusing anyone.
Simply expanding opportunities.
New business grants.
Public investment programs.
Independent transportation networks.
Community-owned infrastructure projects.
Educational funding designed to help smaller enterprises grow.
Competition.
Choice.
Freedom.
Instead of destroying concentrated influence—
he created alternatives.
The results appeared slowly.
Almost invisibly.
But they appeared.
Within a year, dozens of new businesses emerged.
Independent industries expanded.
Employment options increased.
Communities became less dependent on singular organizations.
The powerful businessmen remained successful.
But no longer irreplaceable.
Which was exactly the goal.
When one of his advisors eventually asked why he invested so much effort into the matter, Kaien's answer surprised everyone.
"Because peace isn't protected only from villains."
The advisor looked confused.
Kaien continued.
"Most threats don't begin as evil."
He thought about the settlement.
The businessmen.
The systems forming beneath the surface.
"They begin as conveniences."
People liked convenience.
They always had.
Sometimes too much.
And when enough convenience accumulated—
freedom quietly disappeared.
The advisor remained silent.
Trying to process the answer.
Kaien simply looked out the window toward the city beyond.
Five years after the war.
Humanity was learning how to live again.
And he was learning something too.
Building a peaceful world wasn't about defeating monsters.
He had already done that.
The truly difficult part was protecting humanity from the mistakes it created itself.
And unlike battles—
that responsibility never truly ended.
Far beyond Novaris, the sun slowly began setting.
Its golden light stretched across cities, roads, farms, and settlements built by countless hands.
People laughed.
Worked.
Dreamed.
Planned futures.
Most would never know the problems Kaien spent his days worrying about.
And honestly—
that was exactly how he wanted it.
Because if humanity could continue living ordinary lives while someone quietly protected the foundations beneath them—
then perhaps all those lifetimes of struggle had been worth it after all.