In the weeks that followed, Veridia transformed. The Crimson Lotus didn't hide. They **governed** from the shadows.
They redistributed House Corwin's seized grain. They exposed corrupt officials and let the people administer justice. They protected the orphanages they'd once thought were Church-run—revealing them as fronts for adoption networks run by a quiet, elderly matron named **Sister Anya** (no relation to Lyra's mother). Refugees from purged villages sought them out. Disgraced knights pledged loyalty. Even disgruntled minor nobles, tired of Church extortion, sent whispers of alliance.
One evening, a sealed letter arrived at the Root Cellar, bearing the crest of a black oak tree. Lyra broke the wax. "It's from **Lord Arion of Blackwood**," she said, her voice filled with cautious wonder. "He's heard of us. He writes: *'The Light does not burn the innocent. You have shown us the true face of the devourer. If you march on the capital, know Blackwood stands with you—not as lords, but as men.'*"
Kael held the letter. A good noble. Not a myth. *Real.*
But their path was clear. Malrik wouldn't wait. They had to strike first.
They began training recruits—former street urchins, disillusioned guards, freed Penitent Blades whose souls were scarred but not broken. Kael taught them the **Void Arts**, not as magic, but as discipline:
- **Void Step**: "Move like breath. Be where they aren't."
- **Shared Void**: "Trust your brother. Your silence is his shield."
- **Void Echo**: "Steal their voices. Make their lies their own tomb."
- **Void-Forged Metal**: "Build not for war, but for justice."
Bastian's forge glowed day and night. Elara trained recruits in mimicry and infiltration. Garrick taught them Templar tactics to counter them. Lyra built an intelligence network stretching to the capital.
One night, Kael stood on a balcony overlooking the city. Children played where Templars once patrolled. Markets bustled without fear of unjust tithes.
Lyra joined him, a new map in hand. "The capital is a fortress. Malrik has Penitent Omega Units—fully soul-bound, no humanity left."
Kael nodded. The System chimed softly.
> **[NEW CAMPAIGN UNLOCKED: ROOTS OF DARKNESS.]**
> **[DESTINY PATH: VOID SOVEREIGN.]**
> **[WARNING: MALRIK IS A VESSEL. THE DEVOURER OF LIGHT AWAITS IN THE GODSWOUND.]**
He looked down at the streets—at Bastian testing a new trap with a recruit, at Elara laughing (a rare, bright sound), at Garrick teaching a freed Blade how to hold a sword without trembling.
They'd started with killing enforcers.
Then they'd exposed the Church.
Now… they would tear down the entire rotten edifice.
Kael touched the obsidian lotus at his belt.
*Let the world tremble.*
*We are the bloom in the blood.*
> **[CRIMSON LOTUS: STATUS — EXPANDING.]**
> **[MEMBERS: 4 (CORE) + 12 (RECRUITS).]**
> **[INFLUENCE: VERIDIA (CONTROLLED), BLACKWOOD (ALLIED).]**
> **[NEXT PHASE: INFILTRATE CAPITAL AS MERCHANTS/SPY NETWORK.]**