Meanwhile, the Rhytil were watching from the shadows. Tal'Karr smiled as he reviewed the latest intelligence reports. The alliance was tearing itself apart, and it was all thanks to Lena.
"She's making it easy for us," Rhi'Taal remarked, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "The more she relies on the core, the more fractured the alliance becomes. They'll turn on her soon enough."Tal'Karr's smile widened. "And when they do, we'll be ready. Lena will be our greatest weapon—and our greatest weakness. We'll destroy her resolve, and with it, the alliance's last hope."
Lena's Resolve
That night, as Lena lay awake in her quarters, the weight of the war, the core, and the fractured alliance pressing down on her, she knew something had to change. She couldn't keep going like this. The core's power was consuming her, and the people around her were starting to doubt her.But the war had to end. She had no choice but to continue—no matter what it cost her.