The sky over Chrystalis remained stained with plumes of black smoke rising from the explosion of the thermal power reservoir. In those moments of bewilderment, the Military Council forces were in disarray; thousands of soldiers rushed toward the blast site in a desperate attempt to contain the fire or search for survivors, leaving the gaps at the city's edges widening like open wounds.
Amidst this chaos, Ajax (disguised as General Cassio) moved with confident strides toward the Great Operations Room of the Military Council. The atmosphere was charged with tension, and generals were shouting into their radios.
In the Heart of the Military Council: The General's Cunning
Rakion (slamming the table): "This isn't just an explosion! It's a declaration of war! Where was intelligence? Where was the guard?"
Ajax (entering calmly, placing his military cap on the table): "Anger won't restore the power, Rakion. We are facing an existential threat. The rebels have exploited the breach, and intelligence suggests they are mobilizing in the impoverished sectors."
General Varius: "What do you suggest, Cassio? Our forces are scattered."
Ajax: "We need a 'qualitative deterrent.' There are shipments of electro-crystal weapons in Camp No. (7). If we open the armories now and equip the elite units, we can crush any movement before it begins. I need your authorization to open the camp and transport the shipments immediately under my personal supervision."
Rakion (hesitantly): "But Camp (7) contains lethal prototypes that haven't been tested..."
Ajax (leaning in with a firm tone): "Would you rather test them on the rebels today, or wait until they test them on your palace doors tomorrow?"
Rakion: "Fine... take the authorization. Open the armories. The city is in your hands."
Ajax left with a smile hidden behind his stern face; he had obtained the "keys to hell" with an official seal.
The Shadow Architects
Far from the eyes of the army, in a secret basement on the city's outskirts, ten high-ranking politicians—whom Ajax had liberated from the Northern Camp—sat around a circular table. Their faces were pale, but their eyes gleamed with a lust for power. Ajax entered, but this time in his mysterious persona: the black coat and circular glasses.
Ajax (tossing a blue folder onto the table): "I've done the hard part. I freed you and secured a legal cover for you to draw weapons. Now it's your turn."
The First Politician (Adrian): "Mr. Ajax... the people are angry because of the explosion, but they are afraid. How will we convince them to fight?"
Ajax (coldly): "In the name of dignity and bread. Establish what we will call the 'Coup Council.' Plaster posters in every corner. Tell them Medon blew up the power to eliminate the opposition. Exploit their hunger. The military shipments will reach you within hours, but I want an army of volunteers... I want human fuel."
The Second Politician: "We will begin recruitment immediately. The abandoned barracks will become our centers."
The Trap Closes
Meanwhile, Orthinus and his companions were struggling through the angry crowds. They didn't know who Ajax was, nor did they realize that the explosion they caused was merely the prologue to a much larger play.
Picus (shaking as he looked at the red posters on the walls): "Look... 'Join the Coup Party... boycott the hands of injustice'... 'Medon kills you with his cold, and we warm you with the fire of revolution.' What is this, Nirar?"
Nirar (reading intently): "It seems a new organization has suddenly emerged from the rubble. The Coup Party? I've never heard that name before. Look at the lines of people... they are going to the barracks voluntarily!"
The companions witnessed a strange sight; young men, old men, and even women were rushing toward buildings formerly belonging to the Military Council, where men in civilian clothes (Ajax's politicians) stood promising them revenge.
Orthinus: "The people have lost hope in the government, and now they are running toward the first hand extended to them. Myron... do you think these are your men?"
Myron (looking with confusion and suspicion): "No... these politicians distributing posters... I know them. They were imprisoned with me. But where did they get this organization? And where will they get the weapons? There is a third force moving them, a force I don't even know."
The Transfer of Power
At the old city artillery, massive military trucks arrived. Soldiers belonging to "General Cassio" disembarked.
The Soldier (addressing Adrian, head of the Coup Council): "We have orders to deliver these shipments to the 'People's Defense Forces' by secret commission from the General to bolster flanking security."
Adrian (deviously): "We receive them in the name of the people."
The crates were opened to reveal advanced crystal rifles and armor that the rebels had never dreamed of. The politicians began distributing the weapons to the new volunteers filling the barracks.
Romelius (watching from a distance, leaning on his cane): "Look closely, my sons. Weapons are flowing from the army to the rebels with suspicious regularity. We aren't watching a spontaneous revolution... we are watching a 'transfer of ownership' for an entire city."
Darius: "The people think they are going to liberate Chrystalis, but they look like a herd being led to a slaughterhouse equipped with the latest tools."
Orthinus: "We must get away from these barracks. The smell here isn't the smell of freedom; it's the smell of a massive trap."
But before they could retreat, the alley they were in was blocked by a group of "Coup Council volunteers" heavily armed with the new gear.
The Group Leader: "You! Strong young men loitering in the streets? Chrystalis is calling you! Join the 'Dawn' barracks immediately... Medon won't fall easily, but with the weapons we put in your hands!"
The companions found themselves forced to go with the flow, walking amidst thousands cheering for the "Coup," unaware that every step they took had been mapped out by a man watching them now from his high office window, holding their strings like puppets in a bloody theatrical performance.