Chapter 111: Embers on the Horizon

The war table was different now.

Gone were the hesitant eyes and uncertain loyalties. What filled the sanctuary's strategy chamber was resolve. Measured silence. Controlled intensity. Chen stood at the head, flanked by Ye Yue and Lanmei on one side, and Sarina and Mei on the other. Around them were generals, scholars, divine-born warriors—each marked by flame, moonlight, or a shared dream of rebellion.

Sarina spread the ancient map over the stone surface again, but this time, sigils glowed across it—awakened. Activated by the divine chamber they'd discovered beneath the ruined court.

"The hidden paths," she said, tapping a glowing archway near the map's edge. "Some lead through dead courts. Others are sealed chambers from before the great schism. If we use them correctly… we can move without alerting the Flame Court's primary sentinels."

"But they're watching," Mei said, her eyes sharp now. "Ever since Chen's last strike, they've started rerouting patrols. We may have days—weeks if we're lucky—before they reinforce this entire quadrant."

"They'll expect a frontal assault or an attempt to steal from a known vault," Ye Yue said coolly. "So we give them both."

Chen's eyes flicked toward her, intrigued.

She continued, "A decoy. A team led by me or Lanmei strikes a visible Flame Vault near the eastern front. Enough to raise alarms. Meanwhile, the real strike force moves through the Veiled Corridor into the Court of Ash."

Lanmei nodded slowly. "That court hasn't seen open war in centuries. But its core still pulses. There's power left there. I can feel it."

Chen looked around the table. "If we strike now, we reshape the battlefield. We seize the initiative. But it'll stretch us thin."

He turned to Lysaria's seal, etched into the map's heart.

"If we unlock the second vault," he said slowly, "we gain access to the purification node. The one that can erase divine corruption from captured land."

"Meaning," Sarina said, voice hushed, "we start cleansing their influence."

Chen gave a sharp nod. "And we make it impossible for them to rebuild."

A murmur passed through the room.

Lanmei stepped forward, laying her hand over the ancient path leading into the Court of Ash. "Then we move at dawn."

Ye Yue added, "Let the heavens think we're reckless. Let them believe we're desperate. And when they look one way—"

Sarina finished, "We'll already be in their heart."

Chen exhaled, grounding himself. "Prepare the teams. Wake the flames. Tomorrow, we burn through the veil."