— NIGHT
SOREN VASK'S POV
The room was dark, lit only by the red glow of tactical screens. Data streamed down faster than any eye could track. And yet, when Chris Blackwood spoke, everything stopped.
CHRIS:
"I want to back one of their enemies."
His voice was cold. Sharp. Calculated.
I stood straighter.
SOREN:
"Which one, Your Excellency?"
He moved closer to the map — where Seltrine, Vandora, and Kovash blinked in red — all marked for conquest. But just outside the perimeter, in the neutral zones, were two minor yet unstable nations:
Darnova and Nexul.
CHRIS:
"Darnova."
He looked me dead in the eye.
CHRIS:
"I want to feed their army. Train their soldiers. Equip their satellites. Fund them enough to scare Vandora."
I understood immediately. This wasn't charity. It was strategy.
SOREN:
"Turn them into a blade… and let them point it at our enemies."
CHRIS:
"No. Let them think it's their own blade. We'll stay behind the curtain… until it's time."
He started walking away, pausing just before the door.
CHRIS:
"Begin the Shadow Program. Make Darnova the monster under Vandora's bed."
He vanished into the hallway.
I activated the encrypted console and sent a silent order:
> Operation Hollow King: Initiate Phase One. Support Darnova — covertly.
If the world thought Chris Blackwood had already peaked...
They had no idea what was coming.