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◆ Scene 1 – The Morning After
The smoke had cleared.
The ash had settled.
But nothing about Dilonia felt whole.
Citadel workers moved like shadows, collecting debris and burned stone from the south wall. The reconstruction had started, but the spirit of the people remained shaken.
High above it all, from the remains of Tower Twelve, Ares stood shirtless, arms crossed, wind tugging at his hair.
His wounds were healed—mostly.
But it wasn’t pain that stiffened his expression.
It was the gaze.
He could feel it.
Someone was watching.
“They’re already here,” he muttered.
Chris’s voice answered from behind him.
“They’ve been here. Since the moment you said your name.”
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◆ Scene 2 – The Arrival of the Oris Envoy
At the Citadel’s eastern airpad, Nir Valkx watched the approach of
