War does not announce itself with a trumpet.
It begins with smoke on the horizon and a messenger who cannot stop shaking.
Aurora sees the smoke before she hears the report.
Dark plumes rising beyond the western ridge, not from Covenant strongholds, but from the neutral town that sits between three trade crossings.
Stonebridge.
Human.
Unaligned.
Unprotected.
The web hums violently beneath her ribs.
Not fear.
Urgency.
Kade reaches her side just as the scout stumbles into the clearing.
"Stonebridge is burning," the scout gasps. "Covenant factions clashing inside the town limits. Obsidian Wing units forcing Darius-loyalists out."
Aurora's jaw tightens.
"Civilians?" she asks.
"Trapped," he replies.
Silence falls like a blade.
This is what fracture looks like when it spills.
The Stability Council convenes in chaos.
Human representatives are furious.
"You promised containment!" Mara snaps toward Darius.
"I promised accountability," he replies evenly. "Not obedience."
