The Syndicate's terror campaign had plunged Kynara into chaos, but for a brief moment, the fires itlements smoldered, and the battlefronts quieted. It was a false reprieve. Ethan sat in the meeting room of the guild in Valeris, doing small maintenan his psma dagger while a muted loewsfeed dispyed images of devastated settlements. Exhaustion weighed heavy on him, but the simmering anger withi his focus sharp.

  A sudden statiterrupted the newsfeed. Across Kynara, ss in every settlement, from the sprawling city of Valeris to the isoted outposts on the p's fringes, crackled with interference. Citizens paused, looking up at the disrupted dispys. Ethan's gaze shot to his s as the static resolved into a familiar, chilling visage.

  Raeth appeared, his face framed by the eerie glow of flickering ss. His sharp features were twisted into a cruel grin, his eyes cold and calg. Behind him, a Syndicate fg fluttered against the dim light of an industrial backdrop. The sound of distant maery hummed ominously in the background.

  "People of Kynara," Raeth began, his voice smooth yet menag. "I trust you've ehe little chaos we've brought to your doorsteps. sider it a mere prelude, a taste of what's to e."

  Ethan's fists ched as he leaned forward, his dagger fotten.

  Raeth tinued, his tone mog. "For too long, you've g to the illusion of safety uhe watchful eyes of the Federation, the Merary Guild, and your pathetic resistance. But let me make something clear: they ot protect you. They are fractured, weak, and scattered, while we, the Bck Sun Syndicate, are united by purpose and strength."

  The broadcast cut to harrowing footage, leaving no doubt about the Syndicate's cruelty.

  The first clip showed a small settlement, its streets afme. Mind-trolled civilians, their faces void of emotio glistening with tears, turned on their loved ones, striking out with improvised ons. The camera lingered on the haunting image of a young woman, her eyes bnk, holding a bloodied pipe over the body of a man who had likely been her father.

  "Do you see this?" Raeth's voice echoed as the footage pyed. "This is the future of Kynara if you dare oppose us. Your neighbors, your friends, your family....they will all bend to our will, just as we bend the mind to our purpose."

  Ethan's stomach ed. Around Kynara, others watg the broadcast shared his disgust. Citizens covered their mouths in horror, and seasoned fighters ched their fists in rage.

  The clip showed burnilements, charred bodies lying ireets as Syndicate thugs marched through, ughing and looting. Raeth's voice remained unshaken as he narrated the destru.

  "And don't think for a sed that this is our limit. No, no. These are merely tools, a fra of the ons we've perfected. Let this serve as a reminder of what happens when you oppose us. But I am a merciful man," Raeth sneered, his grin widening.

  The footage returo Raeth, who leaned forward as if addressing each viewer directly.

  "Meraries," he said with derision, "your so-called leaders, Darrik Voss, Joran Kren and all your other beloved heroes. Where are they now? Scurrying like rats, trying to undo the iable. They've sacrificed their rades for nothing. They think they've stalled us, but iy, all they've done is dey their iable end."

  Ethan's jaw tightened, his hand gripping the edge of his table. The taunt wasn't just a jab; it ersonal.

  Raeth's tone shifted, growing darker. "You see, you ot fight what you ot prehend. Our advas, the alloy, the mind-trol devices are only the beginning. Soon, Kynara will kneel before us, and those who resist will serve as examples. This p will be ours, not through quest but through plete domination of mind and body."

  In the guild's meeting room, Ethan and his allies watched the broadcast with grim expressions. Darrik Voss, seated at the head of the table, rubbed his temples in frustratioance leader Joran Kren, unig via hologram, stood stiffly, his face a mask of fury. Around them, meraries aance fighters muttered curses uheir breath, their anger barely tained.

  The broadcast ended with one final, chilling statement from Raeth. "This is your only warning. Surrender, and you may live. Resist, and you will bee the tools of your owru. The choice is yours, Kynara."

  As the ss went bck, the room fell into a heavy silence.

  Darrik finally spoke, his voice low but steady. "This isn't just a decration of war, it's psychological warfare. Raeth wants to break our morale."

  Joran nodded, his holographic image flickering. "He's onizing fear. And we have to show him that it won't work."

  Ethan stood, his voice cutting through the tension. "We've all seen what they're capable of. We've felt the losses. But this isn't the time to falter. Raeth thinks he scare us into submission, but all he's done is fuel our resolve."

  The room turo him, his words igniting a spark of determination among the gathered fighters.

  "They want us to lose hope," Ethan tinued, his tone firm. "But we've faced their traps, their ons, and their brutality and we're still here. This isn't the end. It's just the beginning of their downfall."

  Kael pced a hand ohan's shoulder. "You're right. We'll hit them harder, smarter. But first, we roup and strengthen our defenses. Valeris, Arak's Hollow, and the other settlements 't take another blow like this."

  As the meeting adjourned, Ethan lingered for a moment, staring at the darkened s that had showh's smug faents earlier. He thought of Valeris's scorched streets, the shattered windows of Nara's , the frightened faces of civilians in Arak's Hollow.

  Raeth's broadcast had been a reminder of the stakes, but it was also a challenge. Ohan inteo answer.

  "I'm ing for you, Raeth," he muttered under his breath, the glow of determination in his eyes. "And I'll make sure you pay for every life you've destroyed."

  As Ethahe meeting room, his mind was already turning to the battles ahead. Kynara was scarred, but its defenders weren't broken. He will fight back, and he will finally kill the bastard no matter the cost.