The capital felt normal again.
Which meant something was wrong.
Arthur stood in the war chamber reviewing reports from the eastern corridor.
Mana crystal shipments had decreased.
Too suddenly.
Not because the purchases stopped.
Because they had already stockpiled enough.
"They're ready," Arthur murmured.
Seraphina stood beside him, hands folded behind her back.
"For what?" she asked.
"For synchronization."
The foundation test had given them data.
Now they would need an event.
Something large.
Something public.
Arthur turned to another document.
"The Imperial Ascension Festival is in twelve days."
Seraphina's eyes sharpened.
The Ascension Festival celebrated the founding of the empire — thousands gathered in the capital. Mana displays. Noble assemblies. Trade exhibitions.
The palace core would operate at peak output to power the city-wide mana illumination.
A perfect synchronization point.
"They'll trigger it during the festival," Seraphina said.
Arthur nodded once.
"Yes."
Silence settled.
Then—
"I've already deployed watchers in the eastern trade houses," Seraphina continued. "Discreetly."
Arthur looked at her.
"You moved without telling me."
"Yes."
She met his gaze evenly.
"You would have approved."
He didn't deny it.
Seraphina had always been political.
But now she was acting independently.
Confidently.
Good.
"You are narrowing the board," she said quietly.
"And they are preparing a spectacle."
Arthur nodded.
"Then we prepare better."
—
Elsewhere in the palace training wing—
Darius was not sparring.
He was studying.
Military logistics scrolls were spread across the table.
He frowned at one in particular.
"Why are supply routes for the northern corridor rerouted through Eastfall?" he muttered.
Eastfall.
Count Roderic's region.
Arthur's earlier suspicion.
Darius's jaw tightened.
He stood abruptly.
If someone was manipulating supply routes ahead of the festival—
That wasn't just political.
That was strategic.
He left without announcing himself.
—
Meanwhile—
Princess Elowen walked through the southern district clinic again.
This time, she noticed something else.
Increased mana fatigue cases.
Minor.
Subtle.
Citizens complaining of dizziness during night hours.
She knelt beside an elderly man.
"Do you live near the eastern river warehouses?" she asked gently.
He nodded weakly.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Elowen's expression grew thoughtful.
Mana fluctuations at night.
Localized.
She didn't understand arrays like Arthur.
But she understood patterns in people.
She returned to the palace immediately.
—
In Arthur's chamber—
Emily was not teasing today.
She leaned over a map, brow furrowed.
"My father's scouts report unusual leyline interference north of the capital."
Arthur's eyes sharpened.
"They're adjusting alignment."
Emily nodded.
"And northern mana flows are subtly shifting toward the capital."
Arthur's mind assembled the pieces instantly.
Eastern stockpiling.
Leyline adjustment.
Foundation calibration.
Festival energy surge.
"They're building a city-scale amplification," he murmured.
Emily looked at him carefully.
"Will it explode?"
"No."
His voice was calm.
"It will destabilize."
The crack in his chest pulsed faintly.
They were planning to use him again.
But on a larger scale.
Before he could respond—
The chamber doors opened sharply.
Darius entered.
Without protocol.
"Arthur."
Arthur turned.
Darius's expression was tense.
"They rerouted northern supply chains through Eastfall."
Seraphina arrived moments later.
"And Elowen reports rising mana fatigue in eastern districts."
Arthur's eyes darkened.
The siblings looked at each other.
Then at him.
For the first time—
They had all brought information independently.
Arthur walked to the center of the room.
"They are feeding the capital."
Not grain.
Mana.
Leyline pressure was being concentrated.
And during the festival—
With tens of thousands present—
The palace core would surge.
And if synchronized with his fracture—
The destabilization would ripple outward.
Not enough to destroy the city.
But enough to fracture confidence.
The Crown Prince's unstable core destabilizes the empire during its most sacred celebration.
Political disaster.
Darius clenched his fists.
"Then we stop the festival."
Arthur shook his head immediately.
"No."
Seraphina understood.
"If we cancel, panic spreads."
"Yes."
Emily crossed her arms.
"Then we adjust the board."
Arthur looked at her.
She met his gaze steadily.
"Don't react to their plan."
Her voice was calm.
"Rewrite it."
Silence.
Arthur's golden eyes gleamed faintly.
"Yes."
He turned to his siblings.
"Seraphina. Expand watchers. But do not obstruct shipments."
She nodded.
"Darius. Quietly reroute half the northern supply through alternative paths."
Darius blinked.
"Without alerting Eastfall?"
"Yes."
His lips curved slightly.
"…Understood."
"Elowen."
She stepped forward.
"Continue documenting mana fatigue cases. I want pattern mapping."
She nodded gently.
"And Emily."
Arthur paused slightly.
Her eyes softened just a fraction.
"Have your father increase northern mana output during the festival."
She blinked.
"You want more pressure?"
"Yes."
Confusion flickered across the room.
Arthur explained calmly.
"If they expect a precise surge from my fracture… I will disrupt their calibration."
Seraphina's eyes widened slightly.
"You're planning to desynchronize intentionally."
Arthur nodded.
"They tuned Phase Three based on my unstable frequency."
His hand rested lightly over his chest.
"Then I will alter it."
Darius frowned.
"That could hurt you."
Arthur met his gaze.
"Yes."
Silence fell.
Emily stepped closer.
"Arthur."
He looked at her.
"Don't carry this alone."
It wasn't dramatic.
It wasn't emotional.
It was steady.
Arthur looked around the room.
At Darius's intensity.
Seraphina's precision.
Elowen's quiet strength.
Emily's unwavering presence.
He exhaled slowly.
"Then we move together."
For the first time—
This wasn't Arthur reacting alone to a hidden enemy.
This was the royal family acting as a unified structure.
Above ground, the capital buzzed with festival preparations.
Below ground—
The crimson-cloaked figure observed leyline convergence readings.
"Alignment nearing optimal threshold."
A subordinate hesitated.
"Unexpected northern mana fluctuations detected."
The figure's voice remained calm.
"Adjust."
But this time—
They were not the only ones calculating.
Back in the palace—
Arthur stood alone for a moment after the others left.
The crack pulsed again.
Louder now.
Closer to its limit.
He closed his eyes.
"They want collapse."
Golden light flickered faintly around him.
"Then I will redefine it."
The Ascension Festival was no longer celebration.
It was a battlefield.
And this time—
Every piece on the board was moving.