Orimo dropped to the ground instantly, clutching his head.
"It hurts…"
Rae sighed, turning her face slightly away.
"Get up already."
Despite her words, the corner of her lips curved upward.
Suddenly—
Noise erupted ahead.
Shouts. Footsteps. A restless murmur swelling like a tide.
Varo straightened, eyes narrowing. "I'm gonna check it out."
Before anyone could stop him, he took off, boots crunching against the sand.
"Hey—hey, wait for me!" Orimo scrambled up and followed after him.
Behind them, Rae clenched her fist, veins faintly visible, eyes burning.
"Leave me alone," she snapped under her breath, storming after Orimo.
"You'll pay for this."
Varo pushed through the growing crowd.
At the center stood a wooden stage.
And upon it—
A man.
Ashryn Witherfall.
The Hero known as He Who Drains.
The moment Orimo saw him, he felt it—the weight of attention, the pull of belief.
Ashryn's voice cut through the noise.
"I have confirmed it," he declared.
"King Rexar De Kyoru attempted to kill his own civilians… to bury the truth."
A wave of gasps swept the crowd.
"He sold this country to the World Ruling Dominion," Ashryn continued, voice hardening.
"Soon, this land will belong to the Navy. We are no longer independent."
The crowd stirred. Anger ignited.
"We cannot trust the king anymore," Ashryn shouted.
"And we cannot trust the Dominion either."
His fist slammed down against the wooden railing.
"So we will forge our own country—"
He raised his voice higher.
"—with a new king!"
The people erupted.
"COME DOWN, REXAR!"
"LEAVE THE THRONE!"
"JUST DIE, REXAR!"
The chants shook the square.
They trusted Ashryn more than anyone.
"Tomorrow," Ashryn announced, spreading his arms wide,
"we march."
"Tomorrow, we begin the rebellion."
"We capture the royal family."
A brief silence—
Then—
"YESSS!"
The crowd surged forward, bodies pressing together, voices unified, marching toward the palace with fire in their eyes.
Orimo stood still among them.
Watching.
Feeling it.
The first spark of chaos had already been lit.