The city of Valemire buzzed with corporate chaos. News trucks camped outside Elaris Luxe Holdings. Silas Kade stood at the center of it all—cool, unbothered, and smirking for cameras.
But in the quiet corners of the world, his network was bleeding.
🎯 Target 1 – Garrick Hemsley
A trusted investor.Silent partner in Kade Dynamics.Lobbyist whispering in ears of Valemire's political elite.
That morning, he stepped into his luxury vehicle. By evening, his offshore accounts were frozen.His name appeared on an Interpol watchlist—unexplained ties to a Northern syndicate Chess had bought and shut down five years ago.
He called Silas, frantic.
"This wasn't Elaris Luxe! Someone's moving through the shadows—"
The line went dead.
His phone bricked itself in his hand.
🎯 Target 2 – Devon Yule
An editor at EchoLedger, the very tabloid breaking the Elsa "misconduct" scandal.
His deepest secret?He owed Chess Golding's shell corp $2.6 million in debt under a different name.
At 9:12 PM, his office was cleared out.His mistress got a cease-and-desist.His boss got a thumb drive.
By 10 PM, Devon Yule no longer existed in Valemire's media circles.
🕶️ Hidden in Plain Sight
In the bustling downtown of Delvane, another of Silas' allies—Minister Oran Brell—stepped onto a podium to speak on "corporate responsibility."Mid-speech, the screens behind him flickered.Photos appeared.
Him.Silas.An illegal auction hosted in the Red Halls of Barrone, five years ago.
Gasps echoed.
Within hours, Oran Brell resigned, citing "family health matters."He'd never even married.
🧊 In the control room beneath Nova Cathedral…
Chess sat calmly, flanked by Lance and a dozen encrypted monitors.
One by one, names blinked out in red. Digital hits. No blood, no bullets—just total erasure.
"They built their power on favors and silence," Chess said, sipping black tea. "Let's see how they handle accountability."
Lance smirked. "You sure Elsa's worth this war?"
Chess didn't look up. "This isn't about her. Not yet. This is about cleaning up trash."
🔥 Back at Silas' penthouse…
The walls weren't cracking—but the paint was peeling.
Four of his quiet donors had backed out. A fifth vanished. Devon Yule wasn't answering. Garrick had gone radio silent.
Silas poured another drink, hands tighter than usual.
Then, he noticed it.
A plain white envelope slid under his door.
Inside:A photo of his younger self, standing next to someone he'd thought was dead.
The words scribbled beneath:
"Remember what you buried. Because I didn't."— C
Silas's jaw clenched.
"Chess Golding," he muttered, "you want to play ghosts?"
He tore the photo and tossed it into the fire.But his hands… were trembling.
☕ Meanwhile, beneath Nova Cathedral...
Chess lit a stick of aged incense from the Azure Shrine.The smoke curled into the form of a dragon, twisting above the glowing diagrams.
"This isn't war," he said to Lance without turning."This is accounting."
He stepped toward the dragon's smoke trail.And it… bowed.
🧠 Behind the curtain...
In a chamber miles beneath Nova Cathedral, ancient martial diagrams glowed faintly.
Chess stood before them, silent.
He didn't move. He didn't speak.
But the temperature dropped.
His aura… changed.
"Let the rats flee first," he whispered."Then we bring the storm."