Veyran Capital — Emergency Broadcast Chamber
"This council recognizes reality."
Lady Vireen's voice carried across every channel, steady but strained.
"Veyra faces an internal breakdown of command. Civilian lives are at risk. Effective immediately, we accept temporary protective oversight from Kael's coalition until unified control is restored."
The words tasted like ash.
Across the kingdom, reactions were immediate—not outrage, but relief.
Markets reopened under coalition supervision. Transport resumed. Food lines shortened. The streets grew quiet in a way they hadn't been for months.
Quiet meant safety.
---
Veyran Southern Corridor — Solas' Position
"They're surrendering," an aide whispered.
Solas stared at the screen, knuckles white. "They're asking him to rule."
"Sir… multiple units are refusing your orders."
Solas laughed once, hollow. "Of course they are. I fired the shot he needed."
Another officer hesitated. "There are calls for your arrest. Civilians are blocking our withdrawal routes."
Solas closed his eyes.
So this was how it ended—not in battle, but abandonment.
"Prepare for a breakout," he said quietly. "If Kael wants me, he'll have to take me openly."
---
Kael's Forward Command
"Civil authority compliance confirmed," Joren reported. "Eighty-seven percent of Veyra now operates under coalition protocols."
Lysa watched the data climb. "You didn't conquer them. You replaced their confidence."
Michael's voice was sharp. "And you're still pretending this is temporary."
Kael didn't answer immediately.
"Deploy Stabilization Councils," he finally said. "Local faces. Veyran voices. Coalition oversight remains invisible."
Joren nodded. "And Solas?"
Kael's gaze hardened slightly. "Contain. Do not martyr."
Michael frowned. "You're afraid of killing him."
"I'm afraid of what killing him would mean," Kael replied. "Dead men become stories. Living failures become warnings."
---
Veyran Outskirts — Night
Solas' convoy moved fast—too fast.
Roads that should have been clear weren't.
Barricades rose ahead, unmanned but deliberate. Drones hovered, projecting calm, measured warnings.
> This route is restricted for civilian safety.
Please stand down.
Solas stepped out of the vehicle, weapon lowered but ready.
"So this is how you do it," he muttered. "No firing. No threats."
A voice came from the darkness.
"You wanted a battlefield."
Solas turned.
Kael stood there, unarmored, flanked by nothing visible.
"This isn't one," Kael continued. "This is an intervention."
Solas laughed bitterly. "You turned my people against me."
"No," Kael said calmly. "You chose to attack civilians. They decided who you were."
Solas' hand trembled. "You planned everything."
"Yes."
"And you sleep with that?"
Kael met his eyes. "I sleep because fewer people die tomorrow."
Silence stretched.
Solas finally lowered his weapon.
"Then finish it," he said. "Show them who you really are."
Kael shook his head. "I already did."
Gestures rippled through the darkness. Restraints activated. Medics stepped forward—not guards.
As Solas was led away, he whispered, "You're worse than a tyrant."
Kael replied softly, "No. Tyrants rule by fear."
He turned back toward the lights of Veyra.
"I rule by exhaustion."
---
Later — Coalition Records
Commander Solas was charged not by Kael, but by a reformed Veyran tribunal.
The distinction mattered.
To historians, to civilians, to the future.
Veyra didn't fall in a day.
It relieved itself of uncertainty.
And as the kingdom stabilized under Kael's quiet hand, other nations watched closely.
Some with hope.
Some with fear.
All with the same realization:
If Veyra could fall without being invaded—
Then no one was truly sovereign anymore.