Chaos spread—
not like fire.
Fire was wild.
Uncontrolled.
This—
was precise.
District after district—
falling.
Reports overlapped.
Commands clashed.
For the first time—
Varkhast hesitated.
"…Contain the western sector!"
"…We're already stretched—!"
"…A knight just—!"
The voice cut off.
Silence followed.
Then—
another scream.
Inside one of the squad headquarters—
Urgency filled the room.
"…Multiple anomalies confirmed!"
"…They're appearing simultaneously—this isn't natural!"
"…We're losing control of the spread!"
Maps were marked.
Lines drawn.
Plans formed—
and broken—
within seconds.
"…Where is the source?!" one of them demanded.
No answer came.
Because there wasn't one.
Not one they could see.
"…Then we isolate—"
"Too late for that."
The voice was calm.
Out of place.
The room stilled.
Slowly—
heads turned.
He stood near the far end.
Not part of the formation.
Not part of the command.
Just—
there.
"…Who are you?" a knight asked sharply.
No response.
The man tilted his head slightly.
As if considering something trivial.
"…You're late," he said.
Silence tightened.
"…Identify yourself," another demanded.
The man's gaze moved across them.
Not hurried.
Not cautious.
Measured.
"…You only noticed now?"
A flicker of irritation passed through one of the knights.
"…What are you talking about?"
The man's faint smile didn't reach his eyes.
"…You're trying to understand something…" he said softly,
"…that's already finished."
A step forward.
"…Enough," a knight snapped, hand moving toward his weapon.
"…Restrain—"
He didn't finish.
Because it already happened.
No sound.
No visible movement.
Just—
Pierce.
The knight froze.
Eyes wide.
A small, clean hole—
through his chest.
Then—
another.
And another.
Three bodies stood still—
for a fraction of a second—
before collapsing.
Silence.
Heavy.
Unreal.
The remaining knight staggered back.
"…W-What—"
He didn't finish either.
Pierce.
His body dropped.
The room fell still.
No struggle.
No resistance.
Just—
ended.
The man stood alone.
Unharmed.
Unbothered.
He glanced at his hand.
A faint distortion lingered.
Aether—
but not stable.
Not clean.
Something… off.
"…Still incomplete," he murmured.
A brief pause.
"…But functional."
He stepped forward.
Walking past the bodies.
As if they no longer existed.
Outside—
the chaos continued.
Screams.
Clashes.
Aether colliding in the distance.
He didn't look.
Didn't need to.
Because he already knew.
Every surge.
Every collapse.
Every failure.
His gaze lifted—
toward the center of the kingdom.
Toward the palace.
Toward the one who ruled it.
A faint smile formed.
"…Let's see," he said quietly,
"…how long your order lasts."
A pause.
"…A perfect system…"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…breaks the easiest."
He turned.
And walked.
Not hurried.
Not cautious.
Just—
leaving.
As if nothing in this kingdom—
could stop him.
Far away—
Johan stopped mid-step.
"…What is it?" Sora asked.
No answer.
Johan's gaze sharpened.
Not toward the chaos.
Deeper.
"…This isn't random," he said quietly.
Sora frowned.
"…Yeah, no kidding—"
"…No."
A pause.
"…This is guided."
Silence.
"…Someone is doing this."
Sora's expression shifted.
"…You serious?"
Johan didn't look at him.
His eyes remained fixed—
on something unseen.
"…And they're close."
Above—
She stood unmoving.
Yet everything moved around her.
Reports flooded in.
Voices overlapped.
"…Multiple districts compromised!"
"…Knights affected—!"
"…Containment failing—!"
Queen Vaeloria Varkhast remained still.
Listening.
Not to panic.
But to the system.
Its rhythm.
Its flow.
Its disruption.
"…So," she murmured.
A pause.
"…you've revealed yourself."
Her gaze lowered slightly.
Cold.
Unshaken.
"…Then you will be corrected."
Across the kingdom—
Order strained.
Control wavered.
And something unseen—
tightened its grip.
Because the disturbance—
was no longer hidden.
It was watching.
Moving.
And slowly—
taking everything apart.