The Spy
Hidden.
Silent.
Listening.
Far above—
And several floors removed from the throne room—
The Wolkin agent remained perfectly still.
She was no threat.
Not here.
Not now.
Or so she believed.
The device she had planted continued to capture fragments of conversation.
Not everything.
Not clearly.
But enough.
She focused.
Listened.
Memorized.
Seven months.
That was the first thing that mattered.
"...when the Winter Solstice nears its cycle…"
A timeline.
A deadline.
Then—
Something stranger.
"...when the Chaos God's power reaches its peak…"
She frowned.
Chaos God?
That made no sense.
The Empire had built its reputation on destroying Chaos worship.
Purging it.
Erasing it.
And yet—
They spoke of it.
As if it were real.
As if it were coming.
She didn't understand.
But she didn't need to.
Not yet.
She kept listening.
"Two hundred fifty thousand troops…"
Her breath caught.
"...all generals present…"
Her fingers tightened.
Then—
Another voice.
A woman.
Measured.
Controlled.
"We need time to rebuild the mage divisions. We lost too many."
The Queen responded.
Calm.
Certain.
"Find those with potential…"
A pause.
"And I will ensure they have the power necessary."
The spy didn't understand what that meant.
But something about it—
Felt wrong.
Deeply wrong.
She recorded it anyway.
The final words she captured sent a chill down her spine—
"Once preparations are complete…"
"The Necromancer will not be able to summon even a single shadow."
Silence followed.
The device went quiet.
The spy didn't move.
But her mind raced.
She didn't know the full picture.
But she knew this—
This was not over.
The Report
She transmitted everything.
Unfiltered.
Uncertain.
Seven months.
Winter Solstice.
Mass mobilization.
Mage reinforcement.
And one final warning—
They have something planned to counter Jax.
She did not know how.
But she knew it mattered.
Two Days Later
The world kept moving.
Even after Lisbeth.
Even after the war.
Bunny still heard it.
The screams.
The fire.
The helplessness.
They didn't fade.
But they dulled.
Jax had held her for nearly a full day.
The others stayed close.
They hadn't witnessed it.
But they felt it.
And they protected her through it.
Jax
Jax didn't move on.
He recalculated.
He replayed everything.
Over.
And over.
Where had he gone wrong?
He didn't blame anyone else.
Only himself.
Until—
Someone mentioned it again.
"Quota."
The word stuck.
Then—
The report.
The King had changed the plan at the last moment.
And suddenly—
It clicked.
There had been no strategic target.
No logical objective.
The goal…
Was never the town.
It was the number.
They didn't want to win smart.
They wanted to win easy.
Jax exhaled slowly.
The anger didn't disappear.
But it shifted.
Less at himself.
More—
At them.
At the Empire.
And more specifically—
At the ones leading it.
The Empire — Then and Now
Over three hundred years ago—
The Empire had been something else.
It had been founded by a Summoned Hero.
A man who defeated the Chaos God.
Banished it.
Protected the world.
After his death—
There had been peace.
Real peace.
Nations united.
Built something greater.
The Empire.
But time changed it.
Power shifted.
Agendas formed.
Over the last hundred years—
Something had gone wrong.
Policies hardened.
Seventy years ago—
Slave Guilds emerged.
Beastkin—
Reduced.
Then enslaved.
Magic—
Controlled.
Restricted.
Innovation—
Discouraged.
The Empire didn't fall.
It rotted.
Slowly.
From within.
Solmere Prepares
And yet—
Life continued.
The festival was coming.
Three weeks away.
At first—
There were doubts.
Without Slave Guild funding—
Would it hold up?
Would it survive?
Would it matter?
They were wrong.
Interest exploded.
More than double previous years.
Crowds began arriving weeks early.
Solmere—
Once forgotten—
Now thriving.
The paved streets.
The fountains.
The parks.
It was ready.
Jax's investments—
The inns.
The restaurants.
The businesses—
All positioned to benefit.
When the town council asked for help organizing—
Jax gave them a name.
Lexi.
Pixelle insisted on joining.
"Someone has to handle the fun parts."
They split the work.
Lexi—
Handled everything.
Pixelle—
Chose the music.
The colors.
The events.
The important things.
The Build-Up
The U.K. Chronicle fueled it.
"Top 5 Things to See in Solmere"
"10 Must-Experience Festival Events"
"Why This Year Will Be the Biggest Yet"
With portal travel now widespread—
Access was easy.
Curiosity turned into movement.
Movement into crowds.
And crowds into anticipation.
The Calm Before
Solmere was alive.
Excited.
Hopeful.
Prosperity touched nearly everyone.
And for a moment—
It felt like peace.
But beneath it—
Plans were forming.
Seven months.
Winter Solstice.
Two hundred fifty thousand soldiers.
And something—
That could stop Jax.
The storm hadn't passed.
It had only begun to gather.