The city streets were no longer streets. They were veins of chaos, arteries pumping fear and hesitation. Three factions tangled like cats in a confined alley, each convinced they held the superior strategy, none realizing they were feeding my calculations.
I perched above the melee, shadowed by scaffolding, watching. Every movement told a story. Lyric's lieutenants hesitated on command a fraction of a second too long. Carrow overextended, exposing the flank he thought secure. Krain barked orders, but the words collided midair, ignored or misheard. Patterns emerged, and I filed them away like bookmarks in a manual no one else could read.
drip… clang… distant screams…
Pins on the map I'd drawn in my mind shifted as the war unfolded. One misstep here, a hesitation there, and the factions began to crumble inwardly before even touching each other. It was beautiful in its precision, this accidental choreography of destruction. I allowed myself a small smirk.
whir… shuffle… metallic hiss…
Every shouted command, every weapon drawn, every glance of doubt I absorbed them. I nudged outcomes silently: a misdirected courier, a conveniently "misread" signal, a fallen crate where it would cause maximum confusion. The city itself hummed in approval beneath me. The Veins were alive, resonating with the mismanagement of the living above.
clatter… crash… alarmed shout…
Carrow's forces collided with Krain's in a narrow alley. Lyric's soldiers hesitated too long before committing, giving the advantage to neither but the distraction I needed. Civilians scrambled, shadows cutting frantic lines along walls, unremarkable but perfect for covering my observations.
clang… distant thud… flicker…
I cataloged every face, every misstep, every whispered panic. The factions didn't realize they were puppets. Not yet. But the strings were taut, and I held the ends.
I leaned back against the railing, noting how the battle unfolded exactly as my mental pins had predicted. Patterns, missteps, arrogance a symphony of chaos composed by fools themselves.
"Three armies, one city, zero coordination," I murmured under my breath, a grin tugging at the corner of my mouth. "If incompetence were a weapon, they'd have already won. But don't worry, I'm here to make sure they don't."