The following morning, the capital woke to another rumor.
Not another attack.
Another rumor.
For the first time since the attacks began, that difference mattered.
The rumor claimed that a group of devils had been seen moving near the northern military road.
By sunrise, the story had already changed three times.
Some said there were hundreds.
Others claimed they had seen only a handful.
By the time it reached the Authority, the report had become an invading army.
The soldiers were mobilized.
The Church demanded that the gates be sealed.
The War Council ordered scouts into the northern region.
And the entire capital began preparing for a battle that might not even exist.
I watched the soldiers leave through the eastern gate.
Something felt wrong.
Not because of the report.
Because of how quickly everyone had reacted.
I had seen this before.
Not the attack itself.
The response.
The same thing had happened repeatedly.
A rumor appeared.
Someone confirmed part of it.
