The infirmary was chaos.

Medics moved in sharp, practiced patterns—tourniquets, pressure bandages, soul force stabilization, emergency amputation sealing. The smell of blood and bitter herbs hung thick in the air.

Maren lay on a surgical table, face pale as death, breath shallow.

Her left arm—or what remained of it—had been wrapped, cauterized, treated with every healing technique Vester's medical corps possessed.

It wasn't enough.

She was stable.

But she would never hold a blade with both hands again.

Atheon stood in the corner, back pressed against the wall, knuckles bloody, eyes hollow.

He hadn't moved in twenty minutes.

Hadn't spoken.

Hadn't blinked.

He just stared at the stump where Maren's arm used to be, watching the medics work with mechanical detachment.

Valen entered quietly, stopping a few feet away.

"Captain," he said softly.

Atheon didn't respond.

"Captain," Valen repeated, louder this time.

Atheon's eyes shifted—just barely—toward him.

"We need to talk," Valen said.

"Later."

"No. Now."

Atheon's jaw tightened. "I said later."

"And I'm saying now," Valen replied, voice hard. "Because if we don't address what just happened, we're all dead."

That got Atheon's attention.

He straightened slowly, pushing off the wall. "What are you talking about?"

Valen gestured toward the arena, toward the aftermath still being cleaned up outside.

"You killed two of Vaelith's squad members. Killed. Not incapacitated. Not eliminated. Murdered. In front of the entire outpost."

"They took her arm," Atheon said quietly.

"I know," Valen replied. "And I understand why you did it. But understanding doesn't change the consequences."

Atheon's fists clenched. "What consequences? I won. Vaelith yielded."

"Vaelith yielded because he got what he wanted," Valen said. "He wanted you to break. To show everyone that the great Fist of Men is just a man who loses control when someone he cares about gets hurt."

Atheon stepped forward, towering over Valen. "Watch your tone, Sergeant."

"Or what?" Valen shot back. "You'll kill me too? Add me to the pile?"

Silence.

Heavy. Suffocating.

Then Atheon exhaled slowly, turning away.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean—"

"I know," Valen said quietly. "But that's the problem, Captain. You didn't mean to lose control. You didn't mean to kill those men. But you did. And now everyone in Vester knows that if they threaten First Lieutenant Maren, they can make you irrational."

Atheon closed his eyes. "What do you want me to say?"

"Nothing," Valen replied. "I just want you to understand—what happened today changes everything. Vaelith didn't lose. He won. Because now he knows exactly how to dismantle you."

-----

Elsewhere in the infirmary, in a smaller recovery room, the surviving members of Vaelith's squad lay in cots, bandaged and broken.

The frequency manipulator—ribs shattered, breathing shallow.

The healer—sternum cracked, unable to speak.

The barrier specialist—psychologically shattered, staring at the ceiling with empty eyes.

None of them would fight again.

Not for weeks. Maybe months.

Maybe never.

Vaelith stood at the doorway, hands clasped behind his back, observing.

A medic approached nervously. "Commander… they'll survive. But their combat effectiveness is—"

"Irrelevant," Vaelith interrupted smoothly. "They served their purpose."

The medic blinked. "Sir?"

"They were tools," Vaelith said, as if explaining something obvious. "Tools that revealed critical information about our opponent. Their sacrifice was… acceptable."

The medic's face paled. "But… they're your squad, sir."

Vaelith turned, meeting the medic's gaze.

And smiled.

Cold. Empty.

"No," Vaelith said softly. "They were variables. And variables are only valuable when they provide data."

He walked away, leaving the medic standing frozen in the doorway.

-----

In the eastern barracks, Bright's squad gathered in the common room.

No one spoke.

They'd all watched the match. Seen the carnage. Felt the shift in the air.

Finally, Duncan broke the silence. "That was… intense."

"Intense? That's an insult to whatever that actually was" Adam repeated, voice flat. "Duncan, that was a massacre. The captain killed two people because they hurt someone he cared about."

"They crippled her," Mara said quietly. "Took her arm. What was he supposed to do?"

"Not that," Adam shot back. "Not losing sight of the whole damn point of the trial. I get it—Adept Vaelith is a slimy bastard who doesn't care who he ruins. But Atheon?"

He exhaled hard. "The captain was supposed to be one of the best of us. Maybe not the best—but close enough. And now?"

"Now everything's gone up in smoke."

Baggen leaned back, arms crossed. "Vaelith played him. Used the lieutenant as bait and made the captain react exactly how he wanted."

"And now?" Rolf asked. "What happens now?"

Bright stared at the floor, thinking.

"Now," he said quietly, "everyone in Vester knows that Atheon has a weakness."

"So we're back to square one," Duncan muttered. "Vaelith still controls the board."

"No," Bright said. "Not square one. Something changed today."

"What?"

Bright looked up, meeting Duncan's gaze.

"Atheon showed he's willing to kill for the people he cares about. That's not weakness. That's danger. And dangerous people… they make others nervous."

Adam flipped open his notebook, scribbling rapidly. "You think this shifts the power dynamic?"

"I think," Bright said slowly, "that Vaelith miscalculated. He wanted Atheon to break. To become irrational. But instead, Atheon became lethal. And lethal adepts don't get dismissed. They get feared."

Mara frowned. "So what does that mean for us?"

Bright stood, walking to the window.

"It means the game just changed. And we need to figure out where we stand before someone decides for us."

-----

In the nobles' gallery, now empty except for a few lingering representatives, Lady Veylin sat alone, swirling wine in her glass.

Sergeant Marcus entered quietly, taking the seat beside her.

"You're still here," he observed.

"I'm thinking," Lady Veylin replied.

"About?"

"About what I just witnessed." She took a sip of wine. "Adept Atheon is stronger than I thought. And more unstable."

"Is that a problem?"

"It's an opportunity," Lady Veylin corrected. "Unstable adepts are unpredictable. And unpredictability creates openings."

Marcus leaned forward. "You're thinking of making a move."

"I'm thinking," Lady Veylin said carefully, "that Vaelith isn't the only one capable of moving people like pieces. Some of the recruits are already… ripening."

A faint sigh followed. "A pity most of them are caught in the middle of something they don't yet understand."

"You want to recruit them?"

"I want to position them," Lady Veylin replied. "Give them resources. Support. Make them indebted. And when the time comes, use that debt."

Marcus smiled faintly. "You're playing the long game."

"The only game worth playing," Lady Veylin said.

She stood, smoothing her dress.

"Have someone deliver a message to Private Morgan and the others. Anonymous. Subtle. Just enough to make him curious."

"What should it say?"

Lady Veylin considered. "That someone is watching. Someone who sees potential. And that potential deserves protection."

She walked toward the exit, pausing at the doorway.

"And Marcus? Make sure Vaelith doesn't find out."

-----

Late that night, Vaelith stood in his chambers, staring out at the darkened outpost.

Behind him, a different hooded figure appeared.

"The match went as predicted," the figure said.

"Better than predicted," Vaelith corrected. "Atheon revealed more than I expected. His rage. His recklessness. His inability to separate emotion from strategy."

"And First Lieutenant Maren?"

"A useful element ," Vaelith replied. "Her injury serves multiple purposes. It weakens Atheon's squad. It isolates him emotionally. And it sends a message to everyone else—attachments are liabilities."

"And the others?"

Vaelith's smile widened. "They are is exactly where I want them. Watching. Learning. Realizing that strength alone isn't enough."

"Will you approach them?"

"Not yet," Vaelith said. "Let them stew. Let them see Atheon's vulnerability. Let them wonder if loyalty is worth the cost."

He turned from the window.

"When the time is right, I'll offer them a choice. Protection. Resources. A place in a system that rewards strength over sentiment."

"And if they refuses?"

Vaelith's expression darkened.

"Then they becomes another example. Like Atheon. Like Maren. Like everyone who thinks they can resist the inevitable."

The hooded figure bowed and vanished.

Vaelith stood alone, mind already racing ahead to his next move.

Clear Light's Eve was approaching.

The perfect stage for the next phase.

The perfect moment to remind Vester—and the Republic—who truly held power.

Not through strength.

Not through loyalty.

Through control.

Absolute. Unquestionable. Inescapable.

Vaelith smiled.

Tomorrow, the seeds he'd planted would begin to grow.

And by the time anyone realized what he'd done, it would be too late to stop him.

-----

Far below, in the medical wing, Atheon sat beside Maren's bed.

She was asleep now, sedated, face peaceful despite everything.

He held her remaining hand gently, as if it might break.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I should've been faster. Stronger. Better."

Maren didn't respond.

She couldn't.

But in the silence, Atheon made a promise.

Not to the Republic.

Not to his squad.

To her.

"I will never let this happen again," he said quietly. "No matter what it costs. No matter who I have to become."

He pressed his forehead against her hand.

"Even if it destroys me."

Outside the window, the Shroud drifted through the darkness, gray and endless.

Waiting.

Watching.

Hungry.

A constant reminder of the world they inhabited.

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