Chapter 17 The Catalyst Of Chaos

• The soldiers came in waves, their airships slicing through the misty skies like silent predators. Shadows darkened the streets of Rivermirror as armed men dropped from the skies, their boots hitting the ground with unrelenting purpose. Their mission was clear: retrieve the symbiote and relay core, and capture Argent and Hound—dead or alive. Failure was not an option. Mercy wasn’t part of the briefing.
• The streets emptied as though the city itself had stopped breathing. The Seers had vanished without a trace, their usual defiance replaced by a chilling silence. Blanc’s hotel, the first location to be raided, stood eerily abandoned. The soldiers found nothing. No evidence of life. Not a single personal belonging. It was as if the building itself had never been inhabited.
• The quiet streets of Rivermirror told a story of fear and survival. Nine years had passed since the war, but the scars remained. Now, with River’s soldiers parading through the city like it was their conquest, the memories came rushing back. Mothers pulled their children into the darkest corners of their homes. Businesses locked their doors. Schools closed their gates. The city fell into a deafening silence.