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“I never trusted that cunt – he was too smart for his own good,” Zayin remarked with a shrug. “He was probably the one who ordered me banished and exiled to the catacombs without telling any of you.”

Dekar’s head was spinning, wondering how long Mornero had been planning this entire sequence of events. He had been wondering why many of the original leadership of the revolution had left for other cities, yet Zayin was still here. Were the others also killed off? Or exiled beyond the country?

The last few days had been a whirlwind of events, with him at the start even believing he was in control of everything when he captured Kyle.

“What about Clouds? Based on what you’re telling us, they will definitely try to find where Yona has gone.” Dekar motioned towards an old man who was sitting at the meeting table as well.

“Can you please stop talking about me like I’m not here?” Yona groaned as she stood behind Kyle.

“Silence.” Kyle raised his hand. “Sir Tian, I hope you understand why I called you here.”

“It’s because I am now the most prominent target, am I right?” Tian grunted in acknowledgement, clearly displeased. He had been far too hasty in agreeing to Kyle’s deal, but his greed had gotten the better of him when he saw the raided Nest Hideout, earning himself nearly eight hundred slaves along with hundreds of weapons, enough to start an armed rebellion.

“The military will try to pin you down – spread your forces out among every possible safe house and lure them it, continuously trapping them. We need to ensnare them like a swamp here.”

“I assume it’s because you are already planning to attack a separate location? What’s next on the list? It better not be suicidal or something that involves throwing bodies at.” Zayin questioned.

“For the next three days, we will train and continuously harass Nest and the military while always moving. Once my package comes in from Sir Tian, we can begin the next step. We’re going to attack a government installation.”

“That’s what I mean by suicidal. Are you fucking serious? The government palace is the most heavily guarded place in the city!”

“I’m not attacking the government palace directly just yet. I’m going for the power stations first.”

Four days later…

“Is everything in order? This is my first speech as acting president – nothing can go wrong. You hear me?I don’t want any hitmen from the Clouds to get anywhere near the stage.”

“Yes, sir. I will make sure no one tries to harm you. We have all the firing angles covered. Nothing short of an artillery will be able to hit you.” Nox nodded, disguised as a secret service agent meant to protect Mornero.

“Sir, we’re all good to go. Light capturers have been set up – you may begin any time.”

Mornero nodded, checking his suit and attire, patting down a few creases before following Kalian and Nox out into the open square, where there was a makeshift stage for his speech. The representatives of each city and town in Versia were also there to give their support, half of them already under his wing from the bribery of the industrialists.

The crowd cheered and roared as Mornero waved with a wide smile on his face, striding up to the podium with confidence, grabbing the arctech radio that was linked to speakers and the entire capital’s announcement system.

“For Versia!” Mornero shouted into the radio, pumping his fist out into the air.

“FOR VERSIA!” Many members of the crowd were planted by the industrialists, shouting back. The peer pressure and mob mentality began to affect most of the viewers, with many recalling the old chants of the revolution.

“For Versia!” Mornero pumped his fist a second time.

“FOR VERSIA!!” This time, the response was far more energetic, as though the entire city of Tenar was resounding in response to him.

“FOR VERSIA!” Mornero stuck out both fists, bellowing with all his might.

“FOR VERSIAAA!!” The crowd was in a near frenzy now, their full attention locked onto Mornero right now. Even the young children had their eyes locked on the visage of Mornero as they were hoisted high into the air above the sea of people.

“The people of Versia. I have grave news today.” Mornero’s voice suddenly grew solemn.

“As of today, it is confirmed that the former president Johan has been assassinated by none other than Minister Dekar and his sympathisers.”

A wave of gasps spread through the crowd, many of their faces stunned. Johan had been the face of the government for a very long time, elected as President time and time again.

However, Mornero was no slouch either, having also done his rounds to meet the people. Nearly everyone knew about him, with only good impressions.

“I regret to inform you that due to his death, I, with a humble heart and humble mind, am now, by default, the Acting President of Versia.”

“Elections will be held in three months’ time, where you can place your vote of confidence either in me or against me.”

“BUT!” Mornero suddenly shouted out loud, his eyes scanning the crowd. “I want all of you to know that I, I am a man of ideals.”

“The ideal that Versia can and will be a great state. By following in the footsteps of Johan’s vision for our future, we can shape it to be better, to be more brilliant than it is now!”

“At such a critical time, only those who have proven themselves should lead the nation into prosperity. The hawks are at our doorstep – The Yual Dominion seeks to control us while other countries on the other side plot our demise from afar. We must remain united in such a difficult time!”

“As your Acting President for the next three months, I want to promise you that this will be a government of action, not of mere words and cheap talk. There will be new changes, new policies that will all gear us to defend our motherland, the very soil on which we all call home!”

The crowd cheered in response, screaming out and chanting his name.

“Despite all of that, underneath all of the government talk, in my heart, I am a simple man.” Mornero paused, pointing out to the crowd.

“I’ve been in your shoes; I’ve walked the same toil and grind; I’ve scaled the same obstacles as you from the ground up. I was there when the revolution began. I know everything and anything about you. Because you, and me, and ALL OF YOU HERE. WE ARE VERSIAN!”

“FOR VERSIAAA!” The crowd roared back.

“Ask those who work under me; ask them! If you see them on the streets, ask them. I have never left the office until the work is completed when all of the issues that the common folk face have been sorted!”

“And it would be like this in the future, where all Versian work together for a brighter future. And I swear that this country will be better.”

“BETTER!” The crowd responded.

“Stronger!”

“STRONGER!”

“FREE!” Mornero yelled.

However, just as the crowd shouted back, a large explosion suddenly sent shockwaves through the air, the cloud of black soot and metallic fragments already soaring through the air as hot pieces fell onto the crowd, who immediately began to panic.

“What’s going on? Is this fireworks? Is is part of the speech?”

“No, look! There’s smoke in the distance – that’s the power station!”

“Are we at war? We need to get out of here!”

The arctech radios and lights immediately went dark, the announcement system of the entire city going offline. Thousands of homes began to lose power, the engraving lines running from the power station completely inert, unable to sustain the city’s usage.

“Protect the president! Get him inside now!” Nox yelled, immediately grabbing Mornero off the stage with a few other agents.

Mornero noticed the light capturers were still online, prompting him to begin struggling against the agents. “Let me go! The people need my help!”

Just an agent was about to convince him otherwise, a whizzing sound was heard as a projectile smashed straight through two heads of the agents around him, the brain mush splattering onto Mornero’s face. The projectile was near the speed of sound, with Nox not even being able to react to it. A sniper?! From where?

Another projectile came in rapid succession, with Nox immediately stepping in front of Mornero and blocking the shot with his body. It barely made a dent on the arctech armour underneath Nox’s suit, the armour absorbing the impact and distributing it through its engraving like a fluid.

“Get into the palace, now!” Nox urged, before he drew a figure three with his finger, earning Mornero’s nod.

Nox continued to move with the president until he was completely out of range and safe within the palace before dashing off into the streets, his agility unmatched. The whizzing sounds of projectiles continued to rain on the crowd, forcing them to scatter as only the representatives under Mornero were targeted. Their shocked expressions were plastered permanently on their faces as they were shot through the heart and fell to the ground, the remainder scrambling for dear life and for cover.

He leapt up from one storey to another, climbing onto the roof of an urban block as the crowd below stampeded in chaos.

“Watchers, report in,” Nox ordered on his arctech radio but only earned static as a response. He tried to use his vision to trace the trajectory of the projectile to triangulate the location of the shooter.

However, before he could make another move, the power was suddenly restored to only a few speakers.

[The Ghost of Tenar has come. The Ghost of Tenar has come for all who betray the people of Versia. The Ghost of Tenar has come. The Ghost of Tenar has come for all who betray the people of Versia.]

The same voice message was played on repeat, spreading panic among the crowd as they scrambled to get home, not wanting to be caught up in the apparent crossfire.

“Whoever is still operational, find out where the fuck the source is! Trace the location of the radio!” Nox bellowed into his radio.

[We’re already on it, sir!]

The rumour of the Ghost of Tenar was already beginning to spread among the masses, the message clear and direct as projectiles continued to be fired at the cowering representatives who crawled on the floor.

Nox continued to leap across the rooftops, completely certain that he had found the location of the sniper. It was fired from the walls, shooting all the way down the main street that led right to the government palace with an unblocked view.

“The sniper is in the watchtower; get him now! Surround the area and make sure he doesn’t escape!”

However, Nox could suddenly hear a loud wave of gasps and screams coming from the audience members who were still stuck in the main square, unable to leave fully.

A lone masked man stood on the podium, dressed completely in white robes, while his mask bore the symbol of Versia on it. In his left hand, he grabbed a snivelling representative who was terrified, gripping his head tightly.

“THE GHOST OF TENAR HAS COME!” The masked man bellowed. “The Ghost of Tenar has come for all who betray the people of Versia.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong, I swear! I did not betray them!”

“The voices of those you have forsaken, the homeless you have shunned into the catacombs, the dead who cry for vengeance for your greed. The Ghost of Tenar shall now pass judgement onto you!”

The Ghost of Tenar suddenly increased his grip on the representative’s head, causing the representative to scream as the fingers began to fragment the skull. Like a balloon popping, the fingers of the Ghost of Tenar went straight through into the brain, gouging it out while the eyes of the representative lolled back and twitched violently, his body losing nervous control.

“Remember. The Ghost of Tenar has come for all who betray the people of Versia.”