The capital felt normal again. Which meant something was wrong. Kylrus stood in the war chamber reviewing reports from the eastern corridor. Mana crystal shipments had decreased too suddenly, not because purchases had stopped, but because someone had already stockpiled enough.
"They're ready."
Selene stood beside him with her hands behind her back.
"For what?"
"For synchronization."
The foundation incident had given their enemies the information they wanted. Now all they needed was the right moment to use it. Kylrus turned to another report and scanned it silently before stopping on a familiar date.
"The Imperial Ascension Festival is in twelve days."
Selene's eyes sharpened immediately. The festival was the largest event in the empire. Thousands would gather in the capital, mana displays would illuminate the city, nobles would assemble, and the palace core would operate at maximum output.
"They'll do it during the festival."
"Yes."
Silence settled between them. After a moment, Selene spoke again.
"I've already placed watchers in the eastern trade houses."
Kylrus glanced at her.
"You moved without telling me."
"Yes."
She met his gaze calmly.
"You would have approved."
He didn't argue. Selene had always been political, but recently she had started acting on her own judgment rather than waiting for instructions.
"You're narrowing the board," she said quietly. "And they're preparing a spectacle."
"Then we'll prepare something better."
—
Elsewhere in the palace, Cassian sat in the training wing surrounded by military logistics scrolls. He wasn't sparring today. Instead, he was studying supply routes, deployment schedules, and transport records. One particular document caught his attention and he frowned.
"Why are northern supply routes being redirected through Eastfall?"
Eastfall. Count Roderic's territory. One of the first names Kylrus had become interested in.
Cassian's jaw tightened.
"If someone's moving supplies before the festival, this isn't politics anymore."
He stood immediately and left without bothering to announce where he was going.
—
At the same time, Iris was making another visit to the southern district clinic. While checking patients, she noticed a growing pattern. It wasn't severe enough to attract attention, but it was there. More people were complaining of dizziness during the night, along with mild mana fatigue.
She knelt beside an elderly man resting near a window.
"Do you live near the eastern river warehouses?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Iris nodded thoughtfully. She didn't understand arrays the way Kylrus did, but she understood people. Patterns in symptoms often revealed problems before anyone else noticed them.
She returned to the palace immediately.
—
Back in Kylrus's chamber, Aurielle leaned over a map spread across the table, her expression unusually serious.
"My father's scouts found unusual leyline interference north of the capital."
Kylrus's eyes narrowed.
"They're adjusting alignment."
Aurielle nodded.
"Mana flow from the north is gradually shifting toward the capital."
The pieces assembled instantly in Kylrus's mind. Crystal stockpiles. Leyline adjustments. Foundation calibration. Festival energy surges.
"They're building a city-scale amplification array."
Aurielle watched him carefully.
"Will it explode?"
"No."
His voice remained calm.
"It'll destabilize."
The crack in his chest pulsed faintly. Whatever they were planning, it involved him.
Before either could continue, the chamber doors opened.
"Brother."
Cassian entered first, his expression tense.
"They rerouted northern supply chains through Eastfall."
Moments later, Selene entered behind him.
"And Iris reports increasing mana fatigue near the eastern districts."
For a moment, the room fell silent. Then Kylrus realized something important. None of them had been told to investigate these things. They had all brought information on their own.
He walked to the center of the room.
"They're feeding the capital."
Cassian frowned.
"Feeding it what?"
"Mana."
Kylrus's voice was calm, but the implications were obvious. Leyline pressure was being redirected toward the capital. During the festival, when the palace core reached peak output, the accumulated pressure would surge.
If synchronized with the fracture in his mana core, the destabilization would spread through the city.
Not enough to destroy it.
Enough to destroy confidence.
The Crown Prince's unstable core destabilizes the empire during its most sacred celebration.
Political disaster.
Cassian clenched his fists.
"Then we stop the festival."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
Selene understood first.
"If we cancel it, panic spreads."
"Exactly."
Aurielle crossed her arms.
"Then stop reacting to their plan."
Kylrus looked at her.
She held his gaze.
"Rewrite it."
Silence followed.
Then Kylrus smiled faintly.
"Yes."
He turned toward the others.
"Selene. Expand the watcher network, but don't interfere with shipments."
She nodded.
"Understood."
"Cassian. Quietly reroute half the northern supplies through alternative routes."
Cassian blinked.
"Without Eastfall noticing?"
"Yes."
A grin appeared on his face.
"I can do that."
Kylrus looked toward Iris.
"Keep documenting mana fatigue cases. I want every pattern mapped."
She nodded gently.
"I'll handle it."
Finally, he looked at Aurielle.
"Tell your father to increase northern mana output during the festival."
She stared at him.
"You want more pressure?"
The others looked equally confused.
Kylrus rested a hand lightly against his chest.
"They calibrated everything around my unstable frequency. If I change the frequency, I break the calibration."
Selene's eyes widened slightly.
"You're planning to desynchronize the entire setup."
"Yes."
Cassian frowned.
"That could hurt you."
Kylrus met his gaze.
"Yes."
The room fell quiet. Then Aurielle stepped forward.
"Kylrus."
He looked at her.
"You don't have to carry this alone."
The words weren't dramatic. They didn't need to be.
Kylrus looked around the room. Cassian's determination. Selene's precision. Iris's quiet strength. Aurielle's unwavering support.
For the first time, he wasn't solving a crisis by himself.
"Then we move together."
The others nodded.
Above ground, the capital continued preparing for the Ascension Festival. Markets expanded, decorations appeared across the city, and citizens looked forward to celebration.
Below ground, a crimson-cloaked figure studied leyline convergence readings.
"Alignment is nearly complete."
A subordinate hesitated.
"We've detected unexpected fluctuations from the northern flow."
The figure remained calm.
"Adjust the calculations."
But for the first time, they weren't the only ones making calculations.
After everyone left, Kylrus remained alone in the chamber. The crack pulsed again, stronger than before. It was approaching its limit.
He closed his eyes.
The Ascension Festival was no longer a celebration. It was a battlefield. And this time, every piece on the board was moving.