[Stacy POV]
The golden opening sealed before any of us could reach it, taking the strongest divine copy, the surviving angels, and whatever remained of their forces with it. Kayda caught Kitsuna as her legs gave out, lowering her carefully onto the cracked courtyard while the last six temporary tails disappeared.
Only Kitsuna's three natural tails remained, and even those lay limp against the stone. Her neck had reconnected, but the newly formed flesh was still raw. The pressure that had covered the capital was gone, replaced by violent tremors running through her body as Wrath's backlash took hold.
Kayda dropped to her knees and pulled Kitsuna against her chest.
"Kitsuna? Open your eyes."
I crouched beside them and pressed two fingers against Kitsuna's neck. Her pulse was unsteady, but it was there. Soul Regeneration had kept her alive through the decapitation, although that was no longer the greatest danger.
"She's alive," I said. "Keep her still."
"I know she's alive." Kayda's dragon aura spread across the courtyard as she stared down at Kitsuna. "Why isn't she waking up?"
Before I could answer, the air beside us distorted.
A massive two-tailed cat stepped out of the warped space and crossed the broken courtyard without paying any attention to the bodies or ruined structures around her. Dark fur covered most of her body, and her amber eyes remained half-closed despite the pressure coming from Kayda.
Kayda stared at her. "You."
The cat stopped beside Kitsuna and lowered her head.
"Six minutes," she muttered. "Stupid little fox."
Kayda tightened her hold. "What are you doing here?"
"Taking her back to the pool."
"You aren't taking her anywhere."
The cat looked at her properly for the first time. "Move, dragon princess. Her body is repairing itself, but her soul is coming apart under the backlash. You can hold her here and watch it worsen, or you can let me take her somewhere built to treat this."
Kayda's expression changed as she finally understood the danger. She still did not release Kitsuna immediately, but the anger surrounding her weakened enough for the cat to step closer.
"How long?" I asked.
"Around three weeks before she can safely leave my care. The pain will last much longer."
I reached for Kitsuna, but the cat's tail wrapped around her first and lifted her from Kayda's arms.
"At least tell us where you're taking her."
The cat ignored the question. Space folded around them as Kayda finally reacted and reached forward, but her hand passed through the fading distortion.
"Your dragon princess is possessive," the cat murmured to the unconscious Kitsuna.
"I'm her mother," I snapped. "I'm possessive too."
"Then the two of you can be angry together."
The distortion disappeared, taking Kitsuna and the cat with it.
For several seconds, Kayda stared at the empty stone where they had been. Her dragon aura rose again, and cracks spread beneath her knees.
"Fuck that fucking fox!"
I stood and ran a hand down my face. "Who was that?"
Kayda pushed herself upright, still glaring at the empty space. "Fran. The Sin of Sloth."
I looked at her. "Kitsuna knows the Sin of Sloth?"
"She has been training under her since she disappeared in the slums. Fran lives beneath the Dead Forest and knows more about Wrath than anyone Kitsuna has met."
That explained where Kitsuna had gone and why her control had improved so much. It also raised several questions that would have to wait until my daughter returned.
Dean emerged through a broken fortress entrance before I could ask anything else. The lower half of his coat had burned away, and blood covered one sleeve, although most of it did not appear to be his. Several Black Ops soldiers followed him into the courtyard before separating to check the remaining bodies.
His attention moved from me to Kayda and then to the empty space beside us.
"Where is Kitsuna?"
"Our daughter got kidnapped by a cat."
Dean stopped walking. "How did she manage that?"
"The cat is the Sin of Sloth," Kayda said. "She took Kitsu somewhere beneath the Dead Forest to recover from Wrath."
Dean's eyes narrowed, but he did not waste time arguing about something none of us could change.
"How long will she be gone?"
"Approximately three weeks," I answered. "Longer before the pain ends."
He accepted that with a single nod before looking toward the damaged courtyard. "What happened to the divine bodies?"
"Two are dead. Kitsuna killed the one she fought herself, then stole the final strike against the copy Kayda and I had almost finished. The strongest escaped with the surviving angels."
Kayda folded her arms. "She will hear about that when she gets back."
Dean glanced at the scorch marks left by the destroyed copies. "And Logan?"
"Dead inside the remains of the dome. Kitsuna killed him before she broke out."
"That should weaken their support network, but we cannot assume they only had one person capable of maintaining it."
Movement above the courtyard pulled our attention upward. Eliara and Thorne descended through the lingering smoke, both visibly injured. Eliara was favouring one side, while most of Thorne's warplate had been broken away during the fight.
"The strongest body was connected to the others," Eliara reported as soon as she landed. "They shared information during combat. Every technique used against one of them became less effective against the rest."
Thorne rubbed blood from his mouth. "The connection also carried energy. Not enough to make all the bodies equal, but enough for the strongest one to draw power and adapt while we fought it."
"What happened when Kitsuna killed the first copy?" Dean asked.
"The entire network staggered," Eliara said. "That body possessed a complete soul. Its death damaged the connection far more than the destruction of an empty vessel would have."
"And the second?"
"Weaker and less complete," Thorne answered. "Still dangerous, but its death did not cause the same reaction."
Dean turned toward the damaged fortress, where soldiers and healers were beginning to emerge from protected sections. "Help contain any remaining divine residue. Do not destroy equipment or bodies unless they are still dangerous. We need to understand what they brought into the capital."
Eliara and Thorne agreed without hesitation and moved toward the remains of the containment area.
"How severe are the casualties?" I asked.
"The reports are still incomplete," Dean said. "The evacuation kept civilian losses below what they could have been, but several military groups were struck before they understood what was happening. We have heavy soldier casualties inside the fortress and around every position the angels targeted."
"They knew exactly where to attack," I said.
"They had support inside the tournament and enough time to study our defensive positions. This was prepared long before today."
A group of royal guards crossed the courtyard, surrounding the King and Prime Minister. The King had been treated enough to stand, but blood still covered his clothing, and strain showed clearly across his face. He looked over the damaged arena, the wounded soldiers, and the remains of the divine bodies without speaking.
The Prime Minister remained close to him. "Your Majesty, the healers said you should not remain here."
"I have already been stabilised." The King's answer was firm, but the pause that followed showed how much he was trying to process. "We need to secure the capital, contact the borders, control the nobles, and determine who within the Church supported this. If we move too quickly, we may start a war before we understand who attacked us."
"If we move too slowly, every enemy watching us will see the damage before we respond," Dean said.
The King looked at him. "What would you do first?"
"Seal the capital and establish controlled entry points. Move every wounded person to secured medical sites and assign guards to the healers. Collect divine remains, Church records, weapons, communication devices, and anything recovered from the fortress. Nothing leaves the capital without being inspected."
Dean gestured toward the damaged military sections as he continued.
"After that, alert every border command without accusing another nation of involvement. The Federation has been reinforcing several positions, while the Church, angel faction, and separate cult groups have all become more active. They may be working together, or they may simply exploit the same weakness. Until we have evidence, we prepare for every possibility."
The uncertainty on the King's face eased as Dean gave him something practical to work with.
"Recall the Black Ops detachments protecting the central noble houses," Dean continued. "The houses can use their own soldiers for internal security. Reinforce the border posts, increase patrols, and keep every patrol in coordinated teams. Assemble the high houses for a war council tonight, including House Boei. Hugo has rebuilt enough of her forces to be useful, and House Draig still holds authority over them."
The Prime Minister glanced toward the King. "That degree of military control cannot be granted informally."
"I agree," the King said.
He stepped away from the royal guards and faced Dean directly.
"Dean Draig, from this moment onward, I appoint you Supreme General of Daragon. The Crown remains the final sovereign authority, but all military commands, noble deployments, border preparations, and wartime logistics will answer to you unless I personally countermand an order."
The courtyard fell quiet around us.
Dean lowered his head. "I accept."
The King turned toward the Prime Minister. "Prepare the appointment order and summon the war council. I want every high house represented before nightfall."
The Prime Minister hesitated only briefly. "Yes, Your Majesty."
Dean began assigning work immediately.
"Stacy, return to the Draig estate. Confirm Amari's condition and take control of the Black Ops recall. I want every available operative accounted for before the council begins."
"I'll handle it."
"Kayda, warn the dragon clans and the southern commands. Do not tell them the Federation organised this attack because we do not have proof. Tell them the capital was attacked by the angel faction and that further movement is expected."
Kayda nodded. "I'll return as soon as they have the warning."
"Eliara and Thorne will remain here and help contain the divine residue. I'll coordinate the casualty reports, capital security, and border deployments from the royal command centre."
Around us, soldiers began moving with purpose again. Healers carried the wounded away from the fortress, Black Ops teams marked enemy equipment, and royal guards closed the entrances into the ruined arena.
The war had not officially begun, but Daragon had entered war footing.
Kitsuna would return when she could. Until then, the rest of us had work to do.
[Kitsuna POV]
When I opened my eyes, I was submerged to my neck in the green restoration pool beneath Fran's dungeon. The pain arrived before my memories did, spreading through my body and soul until even moving my fingers felt like dragging them through broken glass.
Fran rested beside the pool in her cat form.
"How long?" I asked.
"Approximately three weeks before your body and soul are stable enough for you to leave."
"That's better than six months."
"You will still feel the six months of pain you earned. The pool repairs the damage faster. It does not remove Wrath's payment."
I tried to move mana through my body, but Fran's tail struck my forehead before I could gather enough to cast anything.
"Do that again and I will put you to sleep for the entire recovery."
"My core feels fine."
"Your core is stable. The veins surrounding it are not. Wrath, the temporary tails, the clone resynchronisation, and the decapitation placed more pressure on them than they could handle. When you leave here, deliberate mana use will still be unsafe."
I sank deeper into the pool. "There's going to be a war."
"Most likely."
"I should be there."
"Daragon has soldiers, commanders, your parents, your partner, and two young gods who survived the assault. They do not need you to begin preparing."
That was irritatingly reasonable.
Fran closed her eyes again. "Sleep. The world will continue moving without you for three weeks."
For once, I was too tired to argue.