Location: Central Command, Tavara Defense Core – 10:16 AM
Sirens wailed outside the glass-encased control room as chaos unfolded across Tavara. Reports streamed in—encrypted files breached, underground tunnels blown open, and elite Kane intelligence officers found unconscious or dead with black marks carved into their wrists: the symbol of Leonidas Vane's renegade faction.
Damien stood at the head of the war room, eyes scanning the holographic map projected on the screen. Red zones bled across major cities. It wasn't just a rebellion. It was a coordinated siege.
"Status on the embassies?" Damien asked sharply.
Colonel Reiss stepped forward, his tone grim. "Two diplomats dead. One missing. We suspect internal collusion in Tavara's Intelligence Bureau. Someone's been leaking information for months."
Damien's fists clenched, the fury in his veins barely contained. He turned to Nora, who sat at the strategy console, cool-headed despite the upheaval.
"We need to shut down the backdoor channels in the Defense Grid. Use the Phoenix Protocol if we have to," she said, fingers flying across the touchscreen. "Leonidas doesn't just want blood—he wants to humiliate you."
"He'll have neither," Damien snapped.
Nora stood and moved toward him. Her presence steadied him like no one else could. "He's trying to make you question everything about your bloodline. Your right to rule. Don't give him that power."
Damien looked into her eyes. "He's not just after me. He's after you. Our child. My legacy."
Ava entered the room just then, her usual composure slightly cracked. "We intercepted a coded message. It was meant for Leonidas. It contains coordinates—Valenridge Prison."
Damien's eyes widened. "That's where they kept General Alaric... the ghost operative."
"Exactly," Ava confirmed. "They're planning a jailbreak."
Damien turned to the command table, his voice like iron. "Get the Shadow Guard. We move in one hour. I want every corridor in that prison under our control before sundown."
Colonel Reiss hesitated. "Sir... if this is a trap?"
Damien's gaze was ice. "Then let them try. I don't run from ghosts—I bury them."
As the room buzzed into action, Nora reached for his hand, squeezing it tightly.
"We can't lose ourselves in this," she whispered. "The world's watching, but so is our child. Whatever happens, we fight with honor."
Damien pulled her closer, resting his forehead against hers for a fleeting moment. "With you beside me, I fear nothing. Not Leonidas. Not the blood in my veins. Not even the throne itself."
Outside, the skies of Tavara darkened with incoming storm clouds. Inside, a greater storm was already brewing.