Kayan sat before the grand map, signs of exhaustion etched into his face, his eyes weary from contemplating the potential body count. Ortinus stood beside him, steady as a mountain, observing the red lines that marked the Vuanck family's defenses.
Kayan (frustrated):
"Ortinus, Ragos's army isn't just soldiers; they possess 'Gravity Shields.' If we attack the main gates, they will simply flip the gravity beneath my men's feet. We'll all fall toward the earth like stones. Suicide is not a plan, and I see no way out."
Ortinus (in a low, steady voice):
"Brute force is what Ragos expects, Kayan. But it is calmness that will kill him. Look at these towers (pointing to the lateral ventilation shafts); they aren't for guarding, but for venting the heat of the 'Black Heart Stone.' If we block these outlets with counter-air pressure, the system will be forced to redirect all shield energy inward to cool the core. At that moment, the external shields will vanish automatically."
Kayan (looking on in shock):
"Redirecting energy inward? We never even considered that! We always attack the shield itself, not the source that feeds it."
Ortinus (continuing with chilling, impeccable logic):
"Furthermore, Ragos's army relies on energy-linked formations. If we isolate the commanders by jamming their frequencies using the 'Blue Feather' I carry, the soldiers will lose their balance in the air. We won't need to kill them all; we only need to make them unable to stand."
Kayan (striking the table in admiration):
"You are magnificent! I've never seen someone analyze a battle like a mathematical equation. Your calm in the midst of this madness is frightening, Ortinus. You don't think like a soldier; you think like a statesman."
Kayan stood tall, unpinned the "High Advisor" badge from his chest, and placed it before Ortinus.
Kayan: "From this moment on, you are my Official Advisor. Your word in this war is equal to mine. The Liberation Army now moves at your signal."
On the other side of the city, inside a royal wing turned into a prison, Peonil Vuanck was smashing everything his hands could reach. Golden chairs were reduced to rubble, and mirrors were shattered to reflect his face, distorted by rage.
Peonil (screaming at the guards behind the door):
"Open this door! I am the King's son! I am the one who holds the secret of the crystal! My old father has lost his mind... how dare he imprison the 'Greatest Discoverer'?"
He kicked the door violently, gasping for air.
Peonil (whispering crazily): "You wait for morning to put me on trial? I will turn that morning into ashes. If Aetheria isn't mine, it won't belong to anyone."
In the Great Hall, King Ragos sat alone, signing a long parchment document with a trembling hand. It was a comprehensive Peace Treaty, entailing the royal family's surrender of the stone's energy monopoly and granting full rights to the Liberation Army.
King Ragos (addressing his private secretary):
"Send this document to Kayan immediately. Tell him I am ready to abdicate the crown if it will stop the bloodshed in the Explorers' districts. I do not wish to be remembered in history as the King who slaughtered his people for a black stone."
The Secretary: "But Sire, Queen Laura and the nobles will not agree... they will see this as political suicide."
King Ragos (sternly):
"The real suicide is what Peonil is doing. Peace is the only power I have left. Go! Before madness alters what remains of this city's mind."
Ragos did not know that his son in the cell, and his wife in the back corridor, had entirely different plans—plans that did not include the word "peace."