Chapter 391: 391 - Taming the Chaos - 4

Chapter 391: Chapter 391 – Taming the Chaos – 4

Liora looked toward Ren, who continued sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the chaos developing around him.

“Should we wake him? He might have important information about…”

“Let him sleep,” Selphira said firmly. “When he wakes up, he might have to deal with a lost war and will need energy to hide with you…”

The messenger cleared his throat. “Is there any response for our observers?”

Selphira sealed the first of her orders forcefully. “Tell them to maintain constant vigilance. I want to know the exact moment the first Yino troops cross into our territory.”

Selphira headed toward her personal wardrobe, where her own combat armor waited. “We’ll discover if all these years of enemy preparation have been worthwhile.”

As the messenger left to deliver the orders, Selphira looked once more toward the bed where Ren slept.

War had arrived, ready or not.

♢♢♢♢

In the damaged Starweaver mansion…

Sirius crumpled Selphira’s message in his hands… the situation was worse than he had imagined.

With Yino crossing the abyss bridge, his already stretched forces would have to cover fronts they simply couldn’t handle. The mathematical impossibility of their position was starkly clear…

Too few soldiers, too much territory, too many threats.

His remaining soldiers, those who had stayed loyal after the disastrous last wave of abyssal creatures, were already overloaded maintaining order in his territory.

“How are we going to protect Luna with so few men?” he murmured, looking toward the window where his daughter practiced with her shadow wolf in the garden. At eleven years old, she already showed abilities that rivaled some adult tamers, but that wouldn’t save her in a total war.

The sound of approaching footsteps interrupted his grim calculations. Multiple sets, moving with the casual arrogance of those who believed themselves entitled to his attention regardless of circumstances.

He recognized that cadence: his brother Orion, undoubtedly accompanied by his eternally ambitious cousins.

The door opened without ceremony, revealing exactly what he had expected. Orion entered with the confidence of someone who believed he held all the cards, flanked by Magnus and Dorian, the twins who had been waiting for years for an opportunity to claim the family inheritance.

All three wore expressions that attempted diplomacy but failed to hide their opportunistic intentions. Their timing was no coincidence… they had come like vultures, sensing the most weakness in the family’s desperate situation.

“Brother!” The voice carried false cheer that immediately set Sirius’s teeth on edge. “We heard about the mobilization. Thought we should come discuss… family arrangements.”

“And?” Sirius didn’t bother hiding his irritation. “I’m surprised to see you here. Usually you only visit when you want something.”

Orion had the grace to look slightly embarrassed, but pressed forward anyway. “These are difficult times, Sirius. The family needs to stick together, make… practical decisions.”

“It’s time to be realistic,” Magnus intervened, his celestial tiger’s black stripes glowing slightly with ‘nervous’ energy. “This war is going to be brutal. The numbers are against us.”

“And the King…” Dorian added with false sadness, “hasn’t shown signs of life in years. It’s time to accept reality.”

Sirius felt his temperature rise dangerously, his own beast stirring in response to the implied betrayal. “What reality?”

Orion stepped closer, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret. “The reality that changing sides might be our only chance of survival. Kharzan with Yino’s backing… It’s too much power to resist.”

Dorian stepped forward, his soft merchant’s hands gesturing expansively. “Look around, cousin. Your forces are depleted, the enemy has superior numbers, and frankly…” He paused, attempting to sound regretful. “The family is in a bad situation… We have to face reality… you see?”

“So, ‘reality’ again?” Sirius’s voice dropped to a whisper that somehow carried more menace than a shout.

“We could negotiate favorable positions,” Magnus added quickly. “Keep our lands, protect our families, protect Luna…”

“ENOUGH!” Sirius’s voice shook the windows, his tiger manifesting partially in claws and fangs that extended threateningly. “Do you think I don’t see what you’re doing?”

The three men stepped back instinctively before the manifestation of power, suddenly remembering why Sirius commanded respect even with so few remaining soldiers.

“We’re only thinking about the family’s future,” Orion tried to maintain his calm tone.

“You’re thinking about gaining something by handing over the ring,” Sirius rose, his presence filling the room. “You think that if you don’t convince me to change sides, or if something happens to me during the war…”

The silence that followed was answer enough.

“Listen to me well,” Sirius approached until he was face to face with his brother. “Don’t even dream that the ring will go to Yino. If you want to change sides, you’re free to do so…”

“Sirius, we’re just trying to…”

“If you don’t want to face the consequences of your ‘side change’ in front of me,” the threat in Sirius’s voice was unmistakable, “I suggest you get out. Now. And understand this… if I catch any of you spreading defeatist poison among my people or trying to undermine our defenses, I’ll personally demonstrate what ‘changing sides’ looks like when you’re buried six feet under.”

Orion held his brother’s gaze for another moment, then sighed. “It was for your own good, brother.”

“Get out.” Sirius’s voice was conversational, almost casual.

“Cousin… Brother, please…” Dorian began.

“GET OUT!” The roar shook dust from the rafters. Sirius rose to his full height, his beast’s influence making his frame seem to expand with barely contained violence. “And if any of you pathetic cowards think for one second that you’ll see so much as an Iron crystal as benefit from this family’s ring after suggesting we betray our king, you’re more deluded than I thought!”

The three men stepped back involuntarily, suddenly remembering why Sirius had been chosen to lead the family’s military affairs while they had been relegated to managing trade routes and accounting in the family’s other half.

Orion raised his hands placatingly. “We were just trying to look out for family interests…”

“Family interests?” Sirius laughed, a sound with no humor in it. “You mean your own skins. You’ve never cared about family honor, family duty, or anything beyond your own comfort. Don’t start pretending now.”

“This was for your own good, brother. For Luna’s future. But if this is how you want to play…”

“This is how. Luna’s future will be decided by honor, not cowardice,” Sirius replied coldly. “Something you’d understand if you had any.”

The three men withdrew, but Sirius knew he wasn’t finished with them. The external war was only part of the problem; the internal war for family power would be equally dangerous.

After they left, Sirius slumped back into his chair, suddenly feeling every one of his years. Luna was still at risk. The enemy was coming.

But he would hold. He had to.

♢♢♢♢

In the castle…

Larissa peeked around the corner of the hallway, making sure no servants saw her before slipping toward what had been her father’s private office. Her curiosity about political affairs had grown exponentially in recent days, fed by fragments of conversations she overheard and her own ability to connect dots that adults believed were hidden.

“Are we going to sneak through the back tunnel again?” Maria sighed, following her mistress with an exasperated expression. “Larissa, you should let the adults handle the situation. It’s becoming dangerous.”

“I can’t,” Larissa murmured, searching through the intelligence papers Julius kept in the desk. “I couldn’t live with the doubt. I need to know what’s really happening.”

Since Zhao had departed at Julius’s request on his mission to search for her father six months ago, external news had been scarce. A bad omen…

But not everything was bad news.

Internally, the changes in the poorest population had been impossible to ignore.

The cultivation methods Ren had developed were literally transforming society from below. The base, which were basic Iron beasts, now reached Bronze with relative ease and it was the new standard.

Larissa blushed slightly thinking about it. Ren really had a much greater impact than he himself realized. His methods weren’t just changing individuals; they were changing the structure of their society.

“Did you find anything?” Maria asked nervously, standing guard with her ear pressed to the door.

“Reports about troop movements,” Larissa read quickly. “And something about… Yino crossing the bridge?”

The documents confirmed her worst fears. War wasn’t a distant possibility; it was arriving at their doorstep.

♢♢♢♢

At military headquarters…

Julius rubbed his temples, trying to relieve the headache that had been his constant companion for the past weeks and had only strengthened enormously in the last hours. Reports accumulated on his desk like a mountain of bad news, each requiring decisions that could determine the fate of thousands of people.

Red markers indicated enemy positions, blue showed their own forces, and the mathematical reality was stark: they were outnumbered nearly two to one.

Trying to fill his father’s enormous shoes was a task that felt impossible. Every decision carried the weight of comparison with what the King would have achieved simply by charging to the front, and Julius found himself constantly doubting himself.

“The soldiers are arriving, but not fast enough,” one of his assistants reported. “And the problem with border refugees has complicated logistics.”

“How delayed?” Julius asked, though he feared the answer.

“We need at least two more days to reorganize both fronts and be completely prepared. With Yino already moving…”

Victor burst into the tent, his aggressive energy immediately filling the space. “Julius! We need to change our approach.”

“What do you suggest?”

“That we stop acting like we’re at a disadvantage,” Victor struck the table forcefully. “We have good tamers, we have competent strategists, we have Dravenholm blood. If we fight better, if we take the initiative…”

Arturo entered right behind Victor, clearly opposed. “Victor, we don’t have the resources to win. The numbers speak for themselves.”

“Numbers aren’t everything!” Victor turned toward Arturo, his frustration evident. “There’s something called tactics, strategy, surprising the enemy!”

“There’s also something called reality,” Arturo responded calmly. “They have double our forces, plus Kharzan’s position, plus resources, plus…”

“Plus, plus, plus!” Victor mimicked Arturo’s tone. “You know what they don’t have more of? They don’t have the motivation we have. They’re not fighting for their loved home.”

Julius observed the exchange, feeling the weight of having to mediate between two men whose opinions he respected but who clearly couldn’t agree.

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