While the fires of war blazed in the outskirts, a silent war was being conducted within the corridors of the Royal Palace. Counselor Valerius, the second most powerful man in the state after King Medon, sat in his darkened office when an encrypted message arrived. It bore a seal he had never seen before, but its contents dripped with gold and invaluable intelligence.
Rakion burst into the Great Hall gasping for breath, rage masking his face and dispatches from front-line commanders clutched in his hand.
Rakion (shouting): "Where are the reinforcements, Valerius? 'Frost Valley' is collapsing, and the rebels control the roads! Why hasn't the Eighth Battalion moved yet?"
Counselor Valerius (coldly, flipping a radiant crystal coin sent to him secretly by Ajax): "Calm yourself, Rakion. Intelligence from 'reliable' sources suggests the insurrectionists are planning to lure us into a trap in the canyons. To move now is suicide. We must wait until the thermal armor outfitting is complete."
Rakion (slamming the table): "Wait? Every passing hour these rabble grow stronger! Who are these sources you trust more than my field reports?"
Valerius (with a mysterious smile): "Sources who know where the secrets are buried, Rakion. Go lead your forces in the 'City of Silence' and leave the high strategy to me."
Rakion left cursing, a certainty growing in his heart that the Palace had been compromised. He turned to his deputy, Serge, and said in a low voice:
"Valerius is playing us. I want you to form a team of the most elite investigators and experts. I want the head of this 'Ajax' before the King's head falls."
The Fall of Stansha
Far from the capital, the city of Stansha—known for its impregnable camp that was said would never fall—was living its final night as a government stronghold. Thanks to the massive support from Ajax (heavy weaponry, provisions, and secret maps of underground passages), the insurrectionists launched an all-out assault.
An explosion rocked the camp walls. It wasn't a random attack; it was a surgical strike on the vulnerabilities leaked by Ajax.
Stansha Rebel Leader (shouting): "Enter! The gates were opened from the inside! Medon's soldiers are fleeing like rats!"
The mighty Stansha camp was turned into a landscape of rubble and ash within hours, dealing a crushing blow to the King's prestige and proving that the "Coup Council" possessed a long arm that could reach the furthest reaches of the realm.
The Hero's Intoxication
On the central front, the seizure of the Central Citadel had just concluded. The hero of the night was none other than Myron. He had charged through the fire of crystal cannons, scaling the walls with suicidal daring and tearing through the ranks of the Royal Guard with his broken sword.
The "Council of Ten" (the Coup leaders) gathered in the Citadel's Great Hall, flanked by Myron, whose clothes were stained with the blood of the enemy.
Adrian (Head of the Council): "Myron, were it not for your bravery in breaching the Eastern Gate, we would be corpses beneath the walls. The people cheer your name, and the fighters trust only you."
Myron (with a proud laugh and gleaming eyes): "I told you... this city will burn, and I will be the torch. I don't want praise; I want to see Medon hanging!"
Adrian: "For that reason, we have unanimously decided to appoint you as an official member of the Coup Council. You are no longer just a fighter; you are a decision-maker. Welcome to the summit, Myron."
The View from the Shadows
The companions watched the scene from a corner of the hall. Anxiety reigned despite the victory.
Nirar (whispering to Orthinus): "Look at Myron... power is beginning to intoxicate him. He no longer sees that this 'heroism' was paved for him with weapons and support of unknown origin."
Orthinus: "Myron thinks he is leading the revolution, while he is becoming a beautiful 'facade' for Ajax's plot. We must be careful; the higher he rises, the harder he will fall when the strings are cut."
Picus (carrying a tray of food): "The new recruits are talking about a march on the capital soon. Is it possible we will face the King himself so shortly?"
Romelius (shaking his head): "The capital is a trap, Picus. Ajax wants both sides to collide there with all their might until they annihilate one another. He is preparing the stage for a new ruler to rise from the ruins."
Darius (entering suddenly, panting): "Orthinus! Nirar! I saw a stranger leaving Myron's private chamber... he wore a grey coat and moved like a shadow. When I tried to follow him, he vanished in seconds."
Orthinus: "The ghost is here, in the heart of our victory. We are no safer here than we were in Rakion's prisons."
The Final Movement
In Ajax's secret office, he monitored the reports of Stansha's fall and Myron's appointment.
Ajax (to himself, snuffing out a candle on the map):
"The Counselor is in my pocket, Myron joins the Coup Council, and Rakion is chasing ghosts. The pieces are now in their correct places. It is time for the 'Final Overture' to begin in the streets of Chrystalis."
He then turned to the shadow standing behind him: "Antoine... ensure that Rakion's investigators find 'evidence' that leads them to the wrong person. I want them to suspect the King's closest confidants."
The pieces are set for the siege of the capital. Would you like to follow Rakion's investigators as they fall into Ajax's "evidence" trap, or stay with Orthinus as he tries to confront Myron about the mysterious visitor?