The room hung in an uneasy silence, a heartbeat stretching longer than it should have.
Arthur stood at the head of the obsidian table, his figure illuminated by the faint glow of a now-faded holographic projection.
The weight of his announcement lingered in the air like smoke after a detonation, tangible, choking, and undeniably real.
No one dared to move at first.
Then Oscar leaned forward, brows furrowing as curiosity edged into his cautious tone. "Wait a second… Varenya? I remember seeing something about that on the news a few months ago."
All eyes immediately turned to him.
He continued, "They said the civil war ended after decades of fighting. A new president was sworn in, a former warlord named Dravik. They claimed he unified the country and began rapid reconstruction. The global press painted him as some kind of war hero… Are you telling me..." Oscar turned back to Arthur, voice rising slightly with disbelief, "...that was your doing?"
