Days passed, and while Stella and her allies managed to calm some of William's remaining followers, unsettling rumors continued to ripple through the city. It seemed that every small victory was followed by whispers of hidden forces working to revive his cause.
As she walked through the city square one morning, Stella observed the faces of the people around her. Some had begun to move on, embracing the chance for a new start, but others looked wary, scanning the shadows as if expecting danger at any moment. That sense of unease was now part of the city's fabric, and Stella could feel it even in her own bones.
Back at headquarters, Ethan greeted her with a nod, spreading out a set of maps and reports on the table between them. "We've had a surge of sightings around the city's perimeter," he said grimly. "William's loyalists, still active. And from what we've gathered, it's not just a handful of scattered followers."
