The icy serenity of the Mystic Ice Sect, now Alaric's northern fortress, was a stark contrast to the chaotic symphony of war and intrigue playing out in the southern kingdoms. Reports, filtered through Ondine Bellerose's increasingly frequent and intimate communications, painted a picture of a Jorailia on the brink.
Noah's rebellion, fueled by the Celestial Dragon Empire's bottomless coffers and elite martial cultivators, was no longer a mere insurgency; it was a full-blown civil war, tearing the kingdom apart. King Rouben Yachvili, his authority crumbling, grew more desperate, throwing his remaining loyal legions into a meat grinder against Noah's alchemically enhanced forces.
