---
Chapter 14
The sky over Calvenne grew darker with each passing day. Not only because of the heavy storm clouds, but because the very air seemed to carry an invisible charge — a tension on the verge of snapping.
In the alleys, people kept their eyes lowered, afraid of meeting an accusing gaze. Smiles had grown rare, replaced by feverish whispers and heavy silences.
Kael walked through this decaying atmosphere concealed behind his illusion, his face altered into ordinary, forgettable features. To the world, he was no longer Kael. Here, he was Varlen, a discreet merchant, a man one might cross paths with and immediately forget.
But behind this banal mask, he watched every fissure widen.
---
The Seed of Discord
In a discreet chamber lit by trembling candles, Kael met with a captain of the guard, drunk and weary.
> "The Council betrayed us…" the man growled, slamming his fist on the table. "They fund the merchants while letting my men starve."
Kael poured a cup of wine, his gaze calm and steady.
> "Perhaps it is not only the Council, captain. Perhaps your own superiors have already abandoned you."
The man clenched his teeth, face flushed with anger. Kael leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper.
> "They say new officers are already waiting to take your place."
A single phrase. A breath. And already, the seed of suspicion took root.
---
Sélène's Confidences
That same night, Kael found Sélène in his shop. She had returned with another bundle of stolen documents, this time from the Shadow Brotherhood.
> "They speak of a secret pact…" she said, setting the papers down. "An alliance to strike at the Merchant Council from within."
Kael scanned the lines, a thin smile tugging at his lips.
> "Interesting… That should be enough to fan the fire a little higher."
Sélène sat opposite him, her gaze shining with intensity.
> "You play with them like pieces on a board. But… how far are you willing to go, Kael?"
He slowly lifted his eyes to hers.
> "Until this city no longer needs to be destroyed. Because it will destroy itself."
Silence lingered between them. Sélène seemed ready to speak further, but her words died before leaving her lips.
---
The Shadows Grow
In the days that followed, incidents multiplied.
A captain of the guard was found dead in his office, throat slit. Rumor claimed he had betrayed his men for gold.
A wealthy merchant saw his warehouses burned down by an angry mob convinced he hoarded supplies.
And in the lower districts, whispers spread of an anonymous savior — a man called Varlen, who possessed solutions the powerful refused to provide.
Kael observed the escalation without lifting a finger. He had only to fan the flames already burning.
---
Doubt
One night, as they watched the city from a balcony, Sélène spoke softly:
> "You could choose to rebuild, you know. Use all this… to create something better."
Kael was silent for a long moment before replying in a voice as cold as steel:
> "Nothing lasting can be built on smoldering ruins. What exists must be consumed entirely… before anything new can rise."
She stared at him, unsettled. Her eyes seemed to search for a spark of humanity within him, but Kael offered only the abyss.
---
The City Strangles Itself
Calvenne was suffocating under the weight of its own paranoia.
Merchant families hired mercenaries to defend themselves from each other.
The guard no longer enforced the law — only their own interests.
The Brotherhood waged open war in the streets, each murder feeding suspicions of a greater conspiracy.
And through it all, Kael's voice remained only a whisper… but a decisive one.
Already, Calvenne no longer governed itself. It simply survived, strangled by its own contradictions.
And Kael, from the shadows, waited patiently for the moment when the last threads would finally snap.
---