Davis Ravencraft's war table groaned beneath the weight of chaos incarnate: dog-eared maps stained with blood, stacks of tattered reports, glowing mana crystals pulsing dimly, and half-drained goblets of bitterroot wine.
A lone oil lantern flickered above, casting long, crooked shadows that danced like ghosts over the war chamber's stone walls. Every inch of the table screamed desperation, yet beneath that despair glinted the spark of something far more dangerous—hope.
Shin stood at the far end, silent and still as a statue carved from shadow and moonlight. His arms were folded, crimson eyes burning as they tracked the jagged borders of the Eastern Continent etched on the largest map.
His cloak rustled softly with each shift in the air, the crystalline orb in his pocket glowing faintly in response. It pulsed with dormant fury, resonating with something only he could feel. A storm brewed within him, unspoken but impossible to ignore.
Behind him stood his companions, his Servants, his light. Laverna, arms crossed, golden eyes sharp beneath the flicker of the lantern.
Zera rested her sword on her shoulder, the blade humming with a quiet tension. Tessara traced her fingers across the table's surface, her blind eyes serene but alert. Maika lingered near the torch-lit eastern wall, her silhouette framed by the shimmering Taiyo no Men flaring faintly from her right hip.
Davis finally halted his pacing and slammed both palms onto the war table, scattering a few loose papers.
"The situation," he growled, his northern brogue roughened by fatigue, "is far worse than we feared."
He looked at each of them with steady resolve before continuing. "Tristan, alongside Queen Mariam, has been feeding lies to the Eastern Continent. They've manipulated history, twisted the truth with Falzath whispers. According to the propaganda, the Soma Clan betrayed the realm before the Fall."
"What?!" Laverna snapped, slamming her palm onto the table. The flames in the lantern flared. "They paint him as the traitor? After everything they did?"
Davis nodded grimly. "Aye. Laginaple's nobles have swallowed it whole. The Hi Okami Renegades now control Tristan's court. Dissenters are silenced, often permanently."
Zera's jaw tightened. "Yet we have the West. Coralis, Aethelmar, and now Kharzad. The light still burns there."
Davis gave a tired smirk. "Barely, lass. But yes, your victory has sparked interest. Small nations near the border are stirring. Some send scouts, others send silence."
Shin stepped forward, shadows trailing behind him. "No more waiting. We hold the summit. Bring every leader with courage to Valdorne. Coralis. Aethelmar. Any province that hasn't fallen."
Davis nodded. "Three days. I'll send the ravens tonight. We'll make the preparations."
But the silence that followed was thick with something deeper—not just resolve, but sorrow.
Inside, Shin's thoughts swirled like a storm-tossed sea. They sullied his name. His family. His clan. Murasabe Soma had stood for honor and unity, a guiding light in a realm plagued by darkness. And now, those ideals were twisted into venom. The Eastern Continent believed the Soma bloodline was a lie.
More than that, they believed in Tristan.
The Falzath's whispers grew louder by the day, threading into the minds of the weak, offering power in exchange for obedience. And the people—afraid, desperate—listened.
Behind him, Laverna felt it. The anger. The sadness. The betrayal that festered inside Shin like a wound refusing to heal.
You don't have to carry this alone, she thought, her eyes softening. Through the crest, she reached out. Not with words, but with warmth. Her heart beating in sync with his.
She stepped beside him, quietly laying her hand on his. "You are the last of Soma," she whispered, low enough for only him to hear. "But you're not alone anymore. You carry us now, just as we carry you."
Zera shifted, resting her blade against the wall as she crossed her arms. Her mind stirred with pride—and guilt. She had lived through betrayal once before. She knew what it was to be painted as something she was not.
His anger... it's righteous. But it needs focus.
She stepped forward next, laying a hand over his shoulder. "I would follow you into the fire itself, Shin. Let them spew their lies. We'll answer with truth."
Tessara smiled gently. Even in the tension, her blind gaze found peace. The crests bound them, but more than that, they connected hearts. And she could feel his—how battered it was. But how strong.
Your sorrow echoes, Shin, she thought. But so does your light.
Maika stepped forward last. She had once believed all was lost. Her clan ruined. Her honor stripped. But Shin—he was proof that justice endured.
My father saw something in the Soma. Now I understand.
"You're not the only one with a legacy to reclaim," she said. "We will carve truth back into the bones of this continent. Together."
Just then, the doors banged open.
Rynn and Dalen charged in, panting, their armor scraped and swords still dripping black ichor. Behind them trailed flecks of ash and embers.
"Scouts," Rynn said, wiping blood from her brow. "Hi Okami Renegades. Southern ridge. We pushed them back. Barely."
"They're not testing us anymore," Dalen added. "They're hunting. And planning something big."
Laverna's tiger-eye necklace glowed faintly. Rynn blinked.
"That thing... It's glowing again."
"It reacts to Falzath corruption," Laverna explained. "It senses what we don't. And it's screaming."
Tessara stepped beside her, voice as soft as moonlight. "The East is drowning. And the tide's rising."
Shin placed a hand over the orb in his pocket. It pulsed in sync with Laverna's necklace. He felt the weight of fate pressing in, but his spine remained straight.
"Then we move faster. We strike first. We carve a path through the dark before it consumes everything."
Davis nodded grimly. "The summit must not fail. If it does, the West won't survive the next storm."
Maika moved closer, her fingers brushing over the map's eastern edge. "My father gave his life for the truth. The Loyalist blood still flows. The time has come to honor it."
Zera eyed her for a long moment before offering a subtle nod. "Then we bring that honor back into the world."
Tessara smiled. "And let it shine brighter than their lies."
They stood together, a united force not forged in courts or crowns, but in battle, trust, and fire. Five women whose power was not just born of magic or combat, but of love and purpose. And the man they followed, a Fox whose flame could not be extinguished.
The war for the East was no longer a dream.
It had begun.
And Shin Soma would be its dawn.