The main avenue of the western capital was packed on both sides. People filled the sidewalks and spilled onto the edges of the road. East Horizon banners hung from windows and streetlights. Alexander stood on the open roof of a reinforced SUV as the vehicle moved slowly through the crowd. Olivia sat inside the vehicle. Vanya walked alongside it with a small security team. Tianya remained further back, out of the direct spotlight.
Alexander held a thick stack of printed posters. Each one showed the East Horizon emblem along with clear records of reclaimed land, rescued survivors, and flux-shield cities. He raised his voice so the people closest could hear.
"These are not promises. These are results. Look at them yourselves."
He began throwing the posters into the crowd in wide arcs. Sheets of paper fluttered down over raised hands. People grabbed them, passed them along, and held them up.
A man in the front shouted, "Is it true you gave eastern workers the same pay as western ones?"
Alexander answered immediately. "Yes. Same work, same pay. If anyone under East Horizon tries to change that, they answer to me."
A woman further back called out, "What about the Alliance saying you're too close to that goddess?"
"I am close to strength that can protect this continent," Alexander replied. "If that bothers the council, they can explain why they spent years arguing while we were fighting in the East."
He kept throwing posters as the SUV advanced. More hands reached up. Some people climbed onto each other's shoulders just to catch one. The security team stayed tight around the vehicle, but the mood of the crowd was loud rather than violent.
Vanya looked up at him. "You're enjoying this more than you should."
Alexander glanced down. "I'm using the time we have. Voting starts today. Every person who sees these numbers is one more vote that doesn't go to the council."
Olivia's voice came from inside the vehicle. "The first polling stations are already open in the northern districts. Lines are long. Our observers are in place."
Alexander threw another set of posters. "Good. Keep the observers rotating. I don't want any quiet changes in the count."
A younger man in the crowd held up one of the posters and yelled, "East Horizon took back the middle plains! Who else did that?"
Several people around him shouted in agreement. Alexander pointed toward them.
"Remember that when you stand in the booth. The council wants you to forget what actually happened these past months. Don't let them."
The SUV continued its slow path. Posters kept falling over the avenue like scattered leaves. By the time the vehicle reached the central square, the ground was covered with them. People were still reading, arguing, and holding the sheets up for the cameras.
Later that afternoon the first formal voting stations opened across the capital. Long lines stretched outside the buildings. East Horizon observers stood at every entrance. Alliance monitors stood opposite them. The air was tense but controlled.
Alexander stepped out of the vehicle near one of the main stations and spoke quietly to Olivia. "How many stations are active right now?"
"Fourteen in the capital," she answered. "Another sixty across the major cities. The rest open tomorrow."
Vanya watched the line of people moving forward. "Refugee turnout is high. They're not staying home."
Alexander nodded once. "That's what we needed."
Inside the nearest station, voters entered one by one. Each person received a secure ballot, marked their choice in a private booth, and dropped it into the sealed box under the eyes of both East Horizon and Alliance observers. The process was slow and deliberate.
Outside, the sun began to lower. The lines did not shorten. More posters from the earlier rally still lay scattered across the streets, some already trampled, some still held tightly in people's hands.
Alexander looked at the long queue of voters and spoke almost to himself. "This is the part that decides everything."
No one around him disagreed. The voting had begun.