The morning sun rose over Veridian like molten gold spilling across stone and steel.
For the first time since its rebirth, the city trembled — not in fear, but in motion.
From the barracks to the gates, boots thundered in perfect unison. The low-tier militia formed ranks upon ranks, shields gleaming, spears lifted like forest pines in the wind. Banners of red and silver rippled — the phoenix of Veridian stretching its wings to the sky.
At the forefront, a detachment of Soul-Forged Knights led the column, their runes glowing like embers beneath their armor. Behind them marched disciplined lines of infantry, followed by supply carts creaking under the weight of rations and gear.
The people of Veridian gathered along the streets, drawn by the echoing cadence. Merchants paused mid-sale; smiths wiped soot from their brows; children clutched bread and craned their necks to see.
"Where are they going?" a vendor whispered, eyes wide.
"South, maybe," another murmured. "The villages. I heard they refused the new tax code."
"Tax code?" the old woman beside him hissed. "That's an army. He's going to war!"
But not all faces were fearful. Some watched with pride — farmers who'd found fairness in their new ruler, merchants whose trade had revived under Noah's reforms.
As the column passed through Veridian's great gate, an envoy party rode ahead — five mounted riders bearing Veridian's phoenix banner and scrolls sealed with wax. Their mission was clear: offer surrender to the villages, and avoid unnecessary bloodshed.
The gate chains rattled. The sound of marching faded into the horizon, leaving behind whispers that tangled like smoke in the streets.
......
The province of rover has 5 cities, and the capital of the rover province is Barn hollow city where the Ravelin rover flow through the city center, also where the governor mansion is located.
In the marble corridors of Barn Hollow, Governor Aldren Voss raged.
The news had arrived at dawn: Noah's response to his envoys had spread through the provincial couriers like wildfire — blunt, fearless, dripping with insult.
"'Veridian answers to me now,'" Voss repeated through clenched teeth. "'Your diplomacy is secondary to my soldiers' blades.'" He slammed a fist onto the table, scattering papers. "That arrogant bastard! He mocks my authority!"
The governor's advisors stood silent, afraid to breathe.
Then the crystal communicator flickered to life, and the hard, amber-eyed face of Duke Renard Damaris appeared. His expression was still, yet the tension in his jaw betrayed his anger.
"i have heard from my envoy , you have let a child mock your and mine authority ," Renard said, voice cold. "
Renard's eyes narrowed. " He straightened, cloak brushing against iron pauldrons. "Prepare your levies, I won't stand a child mocking my authority. If this 'Lord Noah' means to expand beyond Veridian, we'll meet him with steel. Right now I am busy with making the duchy into a kingdom by preparing my coronation, so I can't spare troops"
The governor swallowed hard. "Do we strike first?"
Renard looked out the window — the sea storming below his fortress walls. "No. Let him draw first blood. Then we make him the villain." His tone turned sharp, venom laced with calculation. "When the time comes, Aldren… burn Veridian to its bones."
The crystal dimmed, leaving the governor staring into silence.
Outside, the bells of Barn Hollow rang — the call to arms.
......
A village which lay on the riverbend two days from Veridian — a quiet village of millers and farmers, its thatched roofs glinting faintly beneath the morning mist.
When the five envoys arrived, the villagers gathered, curiosity mixing with unease. The village head, a stout man named Garrin, stepped forward, hands rough from years of labor.
One envoy unrolled a scroll. His voice was steady and formal.
"By order of Lord Noah of Veridian, all villages within Rover Province are to submit under the new governance. Fair taxes, trade protection, and military guard will be provided. Resistance will be treated as rebellion."
Garrin's weathered face hardened. "We answer to the governor, not some boy who murdered his way into power."
The envoy met his gaze. "Refusal means occupation."
"Then we'll see who occupies whom," Garrin spat, turning away. "You can tell your 'lord' we're no slaves to Veridian's fancy banners."
The envoys rode back, the villagers cheering their defiance — though their voices trembled beneath bravado.
......
By dusk, the horizon burned with the light of torches.
From the fields, village's scouts saw it first — a sea of red and silver banners cresting the hills, a sound like rolling thunder as Noah's army advanced. The disciplined ranks shimmered beneath their armor, the phoenix standard glinting like fire under the sun.
On the ridge stood the commander — a Soul-Forged Knight, his eyes glowing faintly beneath his helm. His voice carried across the wind.
he said "You were offered peace. You chose defiance. Surrender now, and none will die."
The villagers scrambled to ready their makeshift defenses — pitchforks, old spears, a dozen worn shields. Garrin stood on the palisade, pale but stubborn. "We'll not bow to a pretender!"
Sir Cael lowered his sword. The runes along the blade flared crimson.
"Then you will bow to consequence."
He turned to his captains. "Advance."
The command rippled through the ranks like a heartbeat. Drums pounded. The low-tier militia surged forward in perfect unity, shields locking, boots shaking the earth. Behind them, the Soul-Forged Knights moved like burning statues — silent, implacable, terrible.
.........
At that time, In a dim tavern near the lower docks of veridian, shadows gathered. The air was thick with smoke and whisper.
"He's marching on villages now," a man muttered over his drink.
"Conquest, they call it," another said bitterly.
At a corner table, a woman with cropped hair and a scar over her lip leaned forward. "You think he'll stop at the villages? He'll keep going — until we're all wearing those damned phoenix crests."
"Then we stop him," a third man whispered, eyes darting. "There's talk — former guards, merchants, a few old soldiers. Enough to light a spark. The people trust him now, but they can turn."
A hush fell. Someone closed the shutters.
The woman smiled grimly. "Then let's give Veridian a reason to burn."
In the silence that followed, the only sound was the quiet drip of ale from an overturned mug — and the echo of distant boots patrolling outside, steady, tireless, and unaware of the fire about to grow beneath their feet.