Chapter 58. The Reborn Queen

The silence that followed the Order of the Helios invasion was the fragile quiet of a moment won, not a war ended.

The Vale’s main gate, shattered by bronze-clad soldiers, smoldered. Caius, adrenaline overriding his lingering weakness, stood over the bodies of the first wave of invaders, his sword dripping. He hadn’t relied on magic, but on the disciplined, defensive force of his Alpha command, amplified by the Hearthstone’s stabilizing Law.

Neriah stood beside him, her hands empty, but her voice sharp with strategic authority.

“They expected chaos, Caius. They expected a leaderless pack,” Neriah stated, watching Kael and the assembled defectors secure the perimeter. “They found the opposite.”

“We gave them a taste of the new world,” Caius agreed, sheathing his sword. “But they’ll be back, and they’ll bring more. The external war is inevitable now. The chaos of our internal war was their invitation.”

Neriah nodded, turning her attention back to the clea