Two months had passed since the war ended, yet the world remained far from peaceful. Though the Black Hand had been eradicated and the world's governments humbled, the scars left by the conflict were deep, and the instability it had sown had only worsened.
Everywhere Silas looked, there were signs of recovery—and resistance to it. Cities were being rebuilt, but at a sluggish pace.
Economies were still in flux, struggling to stabilize in the absence of the once-dominant corporations and shadowy backers of the Black Hand.
Trade routes were disrupted, supply chains fractured, and entire governments struggled to regain control of their territories.
And then there were the Phenomenals families, clans, and factions*.
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The Phenomenals—those rare individuals gifted with extraordinary abilities—had always been a quiet but impactful presence in the world.