High above, Ethan stared at the notification that had waited for him since Lucien's body hit the stone.
[Ding!]
[Rival Divine Signature: Severed — Vessel Destroyed]
[Reward: Territorial Reassignment]
[47 settlements previously affiliated with Raven have entered a leaderless state]
[3 settlements — those nearest the ritual site — have defaulted to your influence due to proximity and freed population loyalty]
Ethan read it three times before it fully registered.
Three settlements, he thought, something between disbelief and cautious hope rising in his chest. Not forty-seven. But three. Real, standing settlements, suddenly without a ruler, drifting toward whoever their freed people trust most.
[Faith Points: 46 → 118]
[Followers: 61 → 340]
He stared at the numbers, remembering with painful clarity that the last time he'd seen a count that high was the morning before the massacre, before everything he'd built had nearly been undone in a single, bloody hour.
