Wildheart: Shattering the Warlord’s Silent Vow

The broken wax seal on the stone steps keeps glowing, sickly and dark. The kneeling soldiers freeze in the square, heads bowed as if something unseen has seized their will. Rex bristles and growls low at Tenda's side.

Behind the council door, the elders peer at the ledger spread under the lantern light. The Elder With Lantern's hands tighten around the page edges as names and routes sink in. The Bare-Handed Elder goes still, face draining of color.

Mei steps forward, jaw set, staring at the ledger as if it can answer for her father. Kaelen watches the street through the doorway, one hand raised to keep the hall quiet while the pressure outside builds.

The elders exchange one hard look, then the lantern-holder folds the ledger shut with shaking fingers. Outside, the seal's glow pulses once more, and the kneeling soldiers do not move.

Tenda drives a focused ki-palm into the glowing seal. The wax star fractures at once, dark light bursting outward in a thin, ugly crackle.

The kneeling soldiers jerk as if a chain snaps inside them. Their spears clatter to the stones, and a few sag onto their hands, blinking in confusion.

The seal flakes apart under Tenda’s palm, but the backlash bites his wrist with a hot sting. A sharp scent of scorched wax hangs in the yard.

Mei turns from the doorway and points hard toward the square, while Rex lunges forward with a warning snarl. The horn on the road keeps beating closer through the night.

The shattered wax seal lies in black crumbs on the step, its glow gone at last, but the soldiers are still scattered and unsteady. The elders look to Tenda for the next move as danger keeps pressing in from the road.