The Chief stood alone in the ruined hall long after the soldiers had left.

  Orders had been given.

  Scouts dispatched.

  Medical camps established.

  But his heart was restless.

  Half his village burned.

  Children were buried before sunrise.

  And he—

  Could not stop it.

  His fists tightened.

  “We were unprepared,” he said quietly.

  One of his senior advisors stepped forward carefully.

  “It was not only preparation, my lord.”

  The Chief looked at him.

  “The Outsiders cannot be trusted anymore,” the advisor continued. “This attack proves something far worse.”

  The Chief’s eyes narrowed.

  “Speak clearly.”

  The advisor hesitated.

  “…Someone from within betrayed us.”

  Silence fell heavily.

  The Chief’s jaw tightened.

  “That is a serious accusation.”

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  “But not without reason,” another advisor added. “Breaker forces entered through our western blind zone — a route only internal scouts and high-ranking clans knew.”

  The Chief’s mind began moving quickly.

  Someone had leaked information.

  Someone had guided the enemy.

  But why?

  “For power?” the Chief muttered.

  “For influence?”

  “Or fear?”

  He could not understand how one of their own would sell their people to slaughter.

  Another advisor stepped forward urgently.

  “My lord, the Major Clans await your orders.”

  The atmosphere shifted.

  Avoiding internal conflict had always been his priority.

  Unity had preserved Kamaskh.

  But now—

  Unity itself was in question.

  “If we delay,” the advisor warned, “we risk civil fracture. The clans will demand answers.”

  “And if we don’t act,” another added, “the village will be buried under the graves of its own people.”

  The Chief closed his eyes briefly.

  War outside.

  Distrust inside.

  No easy path remained.

  He opened his eyes again — firm.

  “Summon them.”

  “Set up an emergency council.”

  “All major clan leaders. Immediately.”

  “If there is betrayal within Kamaskh…”

  His voice hardened.

  “…we will expose it.”

  Far from the burning forest, inside a polished steel facility, a sealed report was placed on a long black table.

  A high-ranking officer entered the room quickly.

  “I have news.”

  The man sitting by the window did not turn immediately.

  Tall. Broad shoulders. Military uniform precise.

  Arjun.

  Now twenty years old.

  Now known across battlefields as—

  The World Breaker.

  He spoke without looking back.

  “Report.”

  “The Hidden Village of Kamaskh has been discovered.”

  That made him turn.

  His expression did not change.

  But the gravity in the room subtly increased.

  “How confirmed?” Arjun asked.

  “Breaker activity exposed its location during last night’s assault. Satellite reconnaissance and field reports match.”

  Arjun walked slowly toward the screen as images of the forest region appeared.

  Burned terrain.

  Magnetic distortions.

  Energy anomalies.

  “And?” Arjun asked calmly.

  “There are signs of an unidentified high-tier ability user within the village.”

  Arjun’s eyes sharpened.

  “Details?”

  The officer hesitated.

  “…Time distortion readings.”

  Silence.

  For the first time—

  A faint shift in Arjun’s expression.

  “…Interesting.”

  He turned away from the screen.

  “Prepare a recon unit.”

  “Do not engage yet.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  As the officer left, Arjun remained alone in the room.

  He looked toward the horizon beyond the window.

  “Kamaskh…” he murmured.

  Then quietly—

  “…Samye?”

  He didn’t know why that name surfaced in his mind.

  But something told him—

  This wasn’t coincidence.