Life in the United Kingdoms settled into a rhythm once more.
Not the rhythm it had known before Crescent Moon Canyon.
A new one.
Confident.
Busy.
Hopeful.
Merchants filled roads that had once stood empty.
Construction crews repaired damaged bridges.
Farmers planted new fields beneath the protection of Kingdom patrols.
Trade caravans arrived from every direction, their numbers growing by the day.
The United Kingdoms had become more than a collection of allied cities.
It had become a destination.
Jax sat alone in his study, surrounded by reports.
Trade manifests.
Infrastructure requests.
Merchant petitions.
Military estimates.
One document rested apart from the others.
Imperial Armed Forces Assessment.
He unfolded it slowly.
Estimated Standing Military Strength
• Heavy Infantry - 110,000
• Cavalry - 42,000
• Siege Corps - 6,000
• Battle Mage Corps - 18,000
• Summoner Battalions - 11,000
• Beast Cavalry - 27,000
• Flying Units - 8,000
• Engineers, Logistics, and Support Personnel - Approximately 28,000
Estimated Total Military Strength:
Approximately 250,000 personnel.
Jax let out a low whistle.
"...That's not an army."
He tapped the parchment.
"That's a continent."
Llandra stepped quietly into the room.
"What is?"
He slid the report toward her.
She read it without speaking.
When she reached the bottom...
She quietly folded it.
"No kingdom on this continent could survive that."
"Not alone."
He leaned back.
"The canyon worked because they underestimated us."
"They won't make that mistake twice."
She nodded.
"No."
"They'll bring everything."
A knock interrupted them.
Jax sighed.
"Come in."
The door opened.
Zee immediately disappeared behind him.
Again.
A young courier stood outside holding an enormous basket overflowing with flowers.
"Another gift for Saint Zee."
"I am not a saint," Zee protested from behind Jax's shoulder.
The courier smiled politely.
"I've also brought three letters requesting blessings..."
"...two invitations to dedicate orphanages..."
"...one request to bless a bakery..."
"...and someone wishes to name their daughter after you."
Nyxian burst into laughter.
"Saint Zee."
"It keeps happening!"
"Because you keep healing people."
"I was doing my job!"
Bunny accepted the basket.
"Ooo..."
She sniffed one of the flowers.
"These smell expensive."
Zee buried her face against Jax's back.
"I liked being anonymous."
Jax smiled.
"I'm afraid you've become a public figure."
She groaned.
"I preferred monsters."
Elsewhere in Solmere...
Brannic's forge had become impossible to navigate.
Customers stretched out the door and into the street.
Weapons.
Armor.
Enchanted equipment.
Orders arrived faster than they could complete them.
Merriweather stood atop a crate directing organized chaos.
"No!"
She pointed dramatically.
"Those rune blades go to Rivenglade!"
"The armor shipment goes east!"
"And whoever enchanted the frying pan..."
She held it up.
"...stop taking custom requests!"
Brannic never looked up from his anvil.
"It sold."
"It shouldn't have."
"It sold."
She sighed.
"...Fair."
The Restoration Fund had exceeded every expectation.
Merchants donated.
Guilds contributed.
Even ordinary citizens gave what little they could.
Jax smiled when he reviewed the accounts.
Llandra noticed.
"You're surprised."
"A little."
"You expected resistance?"
"I expected hesitation."
Instead...
People invested.
Not in him.
In stability.
The Kingdom had survived.
Business could grow.
Families could plan for tomorrow.
That confidence...
Was worth more than gold.
That evening, the Vixens gathered for dinner.
Nyxian leaned back comfortably.
"So..."
She smiled.
"What's next?"
Jax answered immediately.
"We have two priorities."
He held up two fingers.
"Marriage."
"And growth."
Everyone nodded.
"So..."
He looked around the table.
"...who's next?"
Bunny's chair scraped loudly across the floor.
"ME!"
Everyone laughed.
She pointed proudly at herself.
"I want to be next!"
Jax smiled.
"I thought you might."
He reached for a fresh map.
"Show me."
Bunny hurried around the table.
She leaned over his shoulder.
"My village is here."
Her finger rested on a peaceful valley surrounded by rolling hills.
She traced another spot farther north.
"And..."
She wrinkled her nose.
"...there's an old Raid Cave about thirty miles away."
"No one goes near it."
"Why?"
She shrugged.
"Because everyone who does..."
"...doesn't come back."
Silence lingered for only a moment.
Jax smiled.
"Perfect."
Bunny blinked.
"...Perfect?"
"We'll celebrate your wedding."
He tapped her village.
"Enjoy our honeymoon."
Then his finger moved toward the distant hills.
"And afterward..."
"...we'll pay that cave a visit."
Bunny grinned.
"I had a feeling you'd say that."
Wedding preparations began immediately.
"So..."
Nyxian announced.
"We're shopping."
Jax closed his eyes.
"I knew those words were coming."
"They're important words."
"They're expensive words."
"They're beautiful words."
"They're definitely expensive words."
Llandra laughed.
"I'll help."
Zee smiled.
"I'll bring snacks."
Bunny practically bounced toward the door.
"This is going to be perfect!"
Jax's preparations looked very different.
Over the next ten days...
He met with merchants.
Reviewed trade agreements.
Approved new road projects.
Expanded warehouse construction.
Established additional funding for the Restoration Initiative.
Met privately with Vaelrith to discuss intelligence gathering throughout the Empire.
Reviewed military reports.
Strengthened supply chains.
If another war came...
The Kingdom would not merely survive.
It would function.
One stop proved especially important.
Brannic looked up from his forge as Jax carried several crates into the workshop.
Merriweather followed behind him curiously.
"Inventory?"
Jax shook his head.
"Our equipment."
The legendary weapons and armor were carefully unpacked and laid across reinforced worktables.
Peacemaker.
Infernal Requiem.
Starpiercer.
Sanctaris.
Lilith's Kiss.
World Breaker.
Each piece represented months of work.
Brannic slowly walked past them.
Almost reverently.
"You want upgrades."
"I do."
The dwarf smiled.
"I've had ideas."
Merriweather's eyes sparkled.
"So have I."
Jax folded his arms.
"That's what I like to hear."
"At least this one will not be upgrading a frying pan," Brannic deadpanned.
Jax looked at them curiously.
Neither craftsman explained further.
They simply began gathering tools.
Transmutation circles slowly illuminated beneath the workshop floor.
New techniques.
New enchantments.
New possibilities.
Jax trusted them completely.
He made his plan to return in 10 days.
His family's equipment would be waiting.
Stronger than before.
Far to the east...
The walls of Alexandria finally appeared on the horizon.
Dust-covered soldiers straightened their uniforms.
Some smiled through exhaustion.
Others simply looked relieved.
"We made it," one whispered.
Ahead...
The city gates stood open.
Families gathered outside.
Children waved.
Wives searched the returning columns.
Home.
At last.
Yet as the battered army drew closer...
Several veterans exchanged uneasy glances.
Imperial guards lined both sides of the road.
Far more than necessary.
Officers whispered quietly among themselves.
Orders changed hands.
One weary soldier frowned.
"...Why are there so many guards?"
No one answered.
The cheering continued.
The survivors kept marching.
None of them realized...
Home was about to become the most dangerous place they had ever seen.