Province of Westmarch - Governor's Council Chamber
Governor Aldric stood before assembled provincial council. Forty-eight years old, twenty years administrative experience. Never expected to face this situation.
"The capital is gone. Emperor Valerius is dead. The Shadow Council has scattered. Our chain of command is extinct. We have no orders coming from anywhere. No leadership. No empire left to serve"
Provincial Magistrate Kellen spoke carefully. "What do we do? Declare independence? Ally with Covenant? Maintain loyalty to what exactly? The empire does not exist anymore"
Military Commander Orath added his assessment. "Our garrison stands at five thousand soldiers. Their purpose was to defend the empire. But the empire is gone. Do we fight? If so, who? Covenant freed slaves and destroyed our leadership, yes. But they also defeated the army that enslaved millions. Are they enemy or liberator?"
Aldric looked at the map spread across table. Province of Westmarch: two million population, one point two million enslaved beasts working fields and mines and construction.
"Liberation is coming whether we resist or cooperate. Covenant forces are already moving through neighboring provinces. We can fight and die accomplishing nothing. Or we can request Covenant governance peacefully. Minimize bloodshed. Protect our people"
Silence. Council members exchanging glances.
"I propose we request Covenant governance. Send messenger to Bloomring. Offer peaceful integration"
Vote called. Nine in favor. Three against.
Messenger dispatched within the hour.
***
Province of Ironhold - Similar Scene
Governor Thessa—different person, not the wolf—reached same conclusion after heated debate.
"The empire enslaved millions. We enforced that slavery because we had no choice. Now we have choice. I choose cooperation over bloodshed"
Vote: seven to five. Closer, more resistance, but passed.
Messenger sent to Bloomring.
***
Across Former Dominion Territory
Six more provinces independently reached identical conclusions over following days.
Eight provinces total requested Covenant governance. Peaceful integration. No military resistance.
Population covered: eighteen million people. Enslaved beasts: three point six million across all eight provinces combined.
***
Three Provinces Declared Independence
Province of Silverpeak—mountainous region, eight hundred kilometers north, five hundred thousand population.
Council decision reached quickly. "We were always semi-autonomous. Empire controlled our trade but we governed ourselves internally. Now that empire is gone, we simply formalize our independence. But we will trade with Covenant. No hostility intended. Just sovereignty"
Covenant response delivered through Lysara: "Your sovereignty is respected completely. Trade welcomed. Alliance optional but available whenever you wish"
Two other provinces—one coastal, one desert—made similar declarations.
Covenant accepted peacefully in all cases. Freedom meant respecting choice to remain independent.
***
Province of Bloodfen - Chaos
Eight hundred kilometers southeast. Swamplands. Three hundred thousand population.
No central authority emerged. Three warlords claimed control. Former garrison split between them. Banditry spreading. Lawlessness growing.
Covenant assessment from Brenn: "Too distant. Too chaotic. Our resources are insufficient to intervene immediately. We monitor the situation. Address it later if chaos spreads beyond their borders"
Minor problem. Future concern. Not urgent.
***
Liberation Progress
Four point eight million enslaved beasts across all former Dominion territories.
Covenant deployed five hundred Beast Speakers plus ten thousand allied soldiers as liberation teams.
Process: identify enslaved populations, break Soulsteel shackles using Forged Bloom tools, offer citizenship or transport to Covenant territories, provide initial food and shelter.
Timeline: six months for complete liberation. Gradual, region by region, ensuring stability.
First week results: eight hundred thousand beasts freed from major cities and concentrated areas.
Remaining four million scattered across rural territories. Ongoing process.
***
Chainkeeper Survivors
Original organization: two thousand members total.
Capital headquarters: five hundred stationed there. Four hundred fifty died when Malvorn destroyed building. Fifty escaped before destruction.
Field operatives: one thousand five hundred scattered across territories.
Current status after one week:
Six hundred surrendered. Turned themselves in to Covenant or allied authorities. War crimes trials scheduled. Verdicts ranged from life imprisonment to forced labor rebuilding damaged areas to exile from continent.
Four hundred fifty fled. Fake identities, distant territories, hiding underground. Would be hunted systematically over coming months and years.
Four hundred fifty formed resistance remnants. Fanatics, true believers refusing to accept Dominion's end. Attempting to preserve slavery knowledge, rebuild organization. Minor threat without resources or support. Scattered and powerless.
Grand Chainkeeper Morvek: dead. Buried under headquarters collapse.
Chainkeeper infrastructure: extinct. Headquarters destroyed, regional training centers abandoned, research laboratories inaccessible, funding gone, leadership dead.
Organization effectively finished. Survivors hunted or imprisoned. No capacity to rebuild.
***
Bloomring Hold - High Council War Room
Draven stood before assembled council. Brenn, Lysara, Joran, Mira, senior advisors.
"I am leaving. Pursuing Malvorn eastward. Teaching him control. Three months minimum. Maybe longer. Maybe I never return at all"
Council sat in stunned silence.
Brenn finally spoke. "You are abandoning Covenant? After everything we built together?"
"Not abandoning. Trusting. You do not need me anymore. Battle of Ashen Fields—you coordinated fifty thousand eight hundred troops from fourteen kingdoms. I gave orders, yes, but you executed them. Dominion collapse—you are managing territories, freeing slaves, establishing new governance. I am not doing that work. You are"
Draven leaned forward on the table. "If I stay here, Covenant becomes dependent on me. Every decision waiting for Draven's approval. Draven decides, Draven leads. That is not freedom—that is just nicer chains. I leave, you prove Covenant survives without the Fragment-bearer. That is legitimacy"
Lysara asked the obvious question. "Why leave now? Why pursue Malvorn specifically?"
***
Four Reasons
Draven straightened. "Four reasons. All equally important"
"First: Malvorn. Overlord is rampaging eastward. One hundred eighty-five thousand dead in capital. Wandering, destroying without clear purpose. If he is not calmed, he threatens the entire continent eventually. Other Overlords have patience, but that patience has limits. If Malvorn cannot stabilize, they will kill him"
"I freed him. I triggered his ascension by breaking those chains. I am responsible for what came after. I must teach him that freedom does not require destruction. Only I can reach him—Fragment-bearer authority, cosmic significance, experience with broken beasts learning peace. This is my responsibility"
"Second: anomaly zones. Reality tears are spreading. Purple-black rifts appearing more frequently. The battlefield ascension opened permanent wound in reality. Scouts report increasing manifestations. If ignored, the continent becomes uninhabitable within decades. Someone must investigate these zones, map them, find solutions if solutions exist. That is a cosmic problem requiring Fragment-bearer intervention"
"Third: exploration. Theia is bigger than we know. Eastern wilderness, southern jungles, northern tundra, western oceans—all unexplored by us. What exists there? More kingdoms? Other Overlords? Ancient ruins? Pre-Fracture knowledge? Other Fragments? Covenant is becoming a nation now. Nations need knowledge of their world. I will explore, map, document everything I find"
"Fourth and most important: Covenant independence. You do not need me. I built Covenant so it exists without me. You have proven this already. Now I am testing that truth—and trusting you with the future. Can Covenant thrive without the Fragment-bearer? Can I trust you with everything we built?"
He looked at each council member. "If the answer is yes, then we succeeded. If no, then we failed even in victory. But I believe the answer is yes. You will build something better than I ever could. Because you are not one person making decisions. You are thousands working together"
***
Brenn stood slowly. "We will hold Covenant. We will grow it. When you return—if you return—you will find it stronger than when you left"
Lysara nodded. "The fourteen-kingdom alliance needs management. I will coordinate diplomacy, trade agreements, mutual defense pacts. You taught us partnership. We will maintain what you started"
Joran added his commitment. "Forged Bloom production continues. Infrastructure development, research, rebuilding damaged areas. Your absence will not stop our progress. We know how to do this work now"
Mira smiled despite obvious emotion. "I will chronicle Covenant's growth while you are gone. And visit you periodically to document your journey. This becomes volume two of our story"
Thessa—freed wolf, representative for beast citizens—spoke for all freed beasts present. "We owe you everything. Freedom, citizenship, our lives. You leave—we honor that gift by living well. By proving freedom works"
***
Formal Authority Transfer
Draven addressed Brenn directly. "You are Lord Marshal and acting Warden. Military command and governance both. You have earned this authority through your actions"
Brenn accepted with single nod. No ceremony needed. Weight of responsibility acknowledged.
"Lysara, diplomatic authority is yours. You built these alliances. You will maintain them"
"Joran, infrastructure and research continues under your direction"
"Mira, you chronicle everything. Document what we become"
Council voted. Unanimous approval. Transition complete in minutes.
Simple. Clean. Necessary.
***
Notes:
Dominion Collapse Complete: Eight provinces request Covenant governance peacefully (18M population, 3.6M enslaved), three provinces declare independence respected by Covenant with trade offers, one province descends to warlord chaos monitored as future problem, empire extinct with no central authority remaining.
Peaceful Integration Process: Liberation teams deployed (500 Beast Speakers, 10,000 allied soldiers), six-month timeline for complete liberation of 4.8M enslaved, 800,000 freed in first week from major cities, remaining 4M in rural areas ongoing, Forged Bloom tools breaking Soulsteel shackles, citizenship offered with food and shelter provided.
Chainkeeper Organization Extinct: Original 2,000 members reduced to survivors—450 died in headquarters collapse, 600 surrendered facing war crimes trials (life imprisonment/forced labor/exile), 450 fled with fake identities to be hunted, 450 formed resistance remnants as minor threat, Grand Chainkeeper Morvek dead, all infrastructure destroyed leaving organization powerless and finished.
High Council Meeting: Draven announces departure causing initial shock, explains trust not abandonment, emphasizes Covenant must prove independence from Fragment-bearer, dependence equals nicer chains while true freedom requires standing alone.
Four Departure Reasons Detailed: Malvorn needs teaching within three-month window before other Overlords intervene, anomaly zones spreading requiring investigation before continental uninhabitability, exploration to map unknown Theia and find knowledge, Covenant independence test to prove nation survives without him.
Authority Transfer Formalized: Brenn assumes Lord Marshal and acting Warden roles (military plus governance), Lysara heads diplomacy managing fourteen-kingdom alliance, Joran continues infrastructure and research, Mira chronicles Covenant's growth, unanimous council approval with simple clean transition.
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