The silence in the war room was a welcome relief.
Marcus stood at the center of the room, surrounded by maps and documents, his mind still reeling from the battle against the First Ones. They had won, but the cost had been high. Too many good people had been lost.
"We need to rebuild," Marcus said, his voice steady. "The world is still broken. There's so much work to do."
Victor nodded slowly, his expression grim. "I agree. But where do we start? The First Ones have destroyed so much."
Marcus was silent for a long moment. "We start with the communities. We reconnect them, share resources, coordinate relief efforts."
Evelyn moved to his side, her hand on his arm. "We can do this. We have the allies. We have the resources."
Marcus nodded slowly. "I know. But we need to be smart. We nee
