The days after Stella's public speech saw a ripple across the city. Murmurs of dissent grew, but so did resistance to the Prophet's influence. Stella could see hope, fragile but flickering in the eyes of some, and it was enough to push her and her team forward. Yet, beneath that hope, an undercurrent of fear lurked—a gnawing sense that the Prophet was watching, waiting, one step ahead.
One morning, Stella received a message at headquarters: an encrypted note on her desk, bearing only a symbol—a serpent coiled around a tree. It was the Prophet's mark, though how it had gotten inside their heavily secured walls was a chilling mystery.
Ethan scanned the note, his expression darkening. "This isn't just a threat. It's a declaration that they're already inside our defenses."
Stella met his gaze, steeling herself. "Then we need to flush them out. If the Prophet has infiltrated us, we'll bring them into the light."
