VOL. 1: CHAPTER 22: ALLIES ARE NEVER CLEAN
Eli didn't trust them.
That was the first good sign.
She kept distance even while talking, resonance humming faintly around her like a tuning fork left too close to truth.
"You don't reclaim territory," she said bluntly. "You replace who's bleeding on it."
Blitz crossed her arms. "You saying we shouldn't try?"
"I'm saying if you don't understand the crown," Eli replied, "you're just another noise."
Sionu watched her closely.
She wasn't afraid of him.
She was measuring consequence.
"What do you know about the monarchs?" Sionu asked.
Eli's jaw tightened.
"There's one they listening to now," she said. "Calls herself VIREYA."
Ultimo frowned. "Queen?"
Eli nodded. "Self-crowned. Controls three syndicates through sound tech and fear. Runs loyalty like a concert — rhythm, spectacle, punishment."
Blitz muttered, "Of course."
Sionu felt the city react at the name.
Vireya wasn't just power.
She was myth.
1) FIRST STRIKE, NO LIGHTNING
They hit a relay hub that night.
No spectacle.
No thunder.
Ultimo collapsed the access road with surgical gravity. Blitz filled the air with blinding steam. Eli moved through the chaos like a beat drop, resonance shattering weapons without touching flesh.
Sionu stayed back.
Watching.
Learning the rhythm.
The fight wasn't long.
It was precise.
And when it ended, the territory didn't cheer.
It exhaled.
2) VIREYA NOTICES
Miles away, in a soundproofed penthouse converted into a throne room of speakers and subwoofers, Vireya smiled as reports came in.
"So," she murmured, voice echoing softly off tuned walls.
"He's not loud."
She leaned forward, fingers tapping in perfect tempo.
"Good," she said.
"Then when he screams… it'll matter."
3) THE PROMISE OF WAR
Sionu stood with Eli on a rooftop overlooking reclaimed streets.
"You don't have to stay," he said.
Eli shook her head. "I already chose."
She looked at the city.
"She's coming for you," Eli added.
Sionu nodded. "I know."
"And she won't fight fair."
Sionu's electricity stirred — not storming, not flaring.
Synchronizing.
"Neither will the city," he said.
Far below, territory lines shifted again.
Chapter 25 was coming.
And when it arrived, it wouldn't be quiet.
To Be Continued...