Ortenos (bandaging Nikos's hand with strips of clean cloth):
"Hold on, Nikos. Nirar won't be long — he went to get antibiotics and fuel for us."
Nikos (with a faint smile):
"Don't worry about me, my prince… I've lost fingers, but not my dignity. What worries me is that man lying over there."
Nikos nodded toward Miron, who lay unconscious in the corner of the cellar, his body trembling with fever.
Romelius (watching Miron):
"We saved a spark, but we don't know whether it will burn us too, Nikos. The world we left behind in that warehouse has begun to change for the worse."
Meanwhile, elite forces reached the shattered warehouse. Stepping down from his armored vehicle was Rakion, commander of the Red Crystal Unit — a man with sword-sharp features, wearing crimson armor that radiated menace.
The Silence Unit had sent an urgent report claiming the rebels were eliminated, but the reality before Rakion was entirely different.
Rakion (shouting at a Silence Unit officer):
"Where is the body? Where is Miron?! You told me it was over!"
Officer (trembling):
"Sir… Belon and his men… we found all of them dead. It seems a third force intervened… the strangers who were with Belon betrayed him!"
Rakion stood over Belon's corpse, staring at the stab wound in his heart.
Rakion (coldly):
"This is not the stab of a reckless rebel… this is the strike of a professional betrayal. Belon was a fool to trust outsiders. Issue an immediate order: Miron — dead or alive — and double the reward for the strangers' heads. Crystallis will not sleep tonight."
Inside the secret meeting hall of the military council, commanders exchanged tense looks. On the table lay a map of the city marked with black dots.
General Farius:
"The law says rebels must be tried publicly to calm the people. Executing them now will turn them into martyrs."
Rakion (slamming his fist on the table):
"Law is a cloak we wear in peace — and tear apart in war! Miron is not just a rebel; he is an idea. And ideas are not erased by trials, but by extermination. I have prepared a list — the names of everyone who contacted Miron or showed doubt in their loyalty to Ruler Medon. We begin the purge tonight."
In the quiet town of Silver Glass, a man named Torin walked with his wife under crystal streetlights. He spoke about buying a new winter coat, unaware of the red shadows following him.
Torin's wife:
"Hurry, Torin — it's getting cold."
Suddenly, three fighters from the Red Unit emerged. No warning. No questions.
Torin (terrified):
"What did I do? I'm just a tailor!"
Soldier (coldly):
"You are under suspicion. You were seen speaking to a vegetable seller who supplied Miron's rebels with food."
Before Torin could finish speaking, a crystal blade pierced his neck before his wife's eyes. Her scream froze in her throat as Torin fell into his own blood — killed not for guilt, but to send a message of terror to the city.
Elsewhere, ten distant relatives of Miron and former neighbors were dragged into a back courtyard.
One prisoner:
"You told us this was for questioning! Where is the lawyer? Where is justice?"
Officer:
"Justice is cleansing Crystallis with your blood."
Stunning shots rang out. The ten bodies fell into a single trench. It was not an investigation — it was erasure of memory.
Nirar moved stealthily through a side alley, carrying a bag of medicine and antibiotics. He suddenly stopped before a large notice board covered with new red posters.
Nirar (reading softly):
"Wanted: Miron (dead or alive)… Reward: 100,000 crystals."
From afar, he saw a military truck dragging bodies behind it to terrify the population. He saw fear in the citizens' eyes and barricades closing over doors.
Nirar (to himself, bitterly):
"My God… Belon said the system protects people… but this is not order. This is a slaughterhouse. We lit a match in a powder store."
Nirar ran back to the cellar. He entered, breathless, and locked the door tightly behind him.
Ortenos:
"Nirar! Did you get the medicine?"
Nirar (throwing the bag onto the table, trembling):
"The medicine won't save us… Crystallis is no longer a city — it's a graveyard. Rakion and his Red Unit are killing anyone who breathes. Field executions have begun. We're not just fugitives — we're the spark of a revolution that will burn this city to the ground."
At that moment, Miron awoke. He opened his bloodshot eyes and looked at them with a terrifying smile.
Miron:
"They've begun random killings?… Good. That's how tyrants fall — when they can no longer distinguish between their enemies and their people. Only now… will my true revolution begin."