"Enough."
Kael commanded as his gaze lingered over the people, the golden light in his eyes fading away as his skill ran out.
Despite now being able to move their bodies, the people still remained frozen, all staring at Kael with different expressions. So looked at him with awe, so with pure reverence, and so... so looked at him in fear.
But for the next few seconds, not a single soul said a word. They all waited.
Waiting for Kael to speak, and Kael stepped forward, snow crunching under his boots. This ti, Lavinia didn’t follow him; it was Kael’s stage, and she wanted it to remain that way.
"That is enough,"
He repeated his words in the sa cold, commanding tone. Then, he once again looked at the crowd, his gaze stopping at Draksis for a second longer.
"You think you have a choice,"
He began.
"You think you can shout loudly enough and the world will change its mind.
You do not.
You are wrong."
He paused again, letting his words settle over the crowd, and unlike when Morvain was speaking, no one here talked or had a discussion of their own.
This was the effect of [Roar of Dominion], the fear that... still lingered inside them, the fear that... didn’t let them be daring enough to say a word.
And Kael continued—
"The world is not a fairy tale. I learned it the hard way—and you people know this better than I do.
You have seen your own die of starvation, or of cold, or of injuries or sickness that you just didn’t have the resources to heal. Even then, you must have shouted, you must have prayed—desperately, even more desperately than now.
But you know it as well—your prayers weren’t answered, your shouts didn’t change a thing.
You were all helpless."
Kael spoke, and the people lowered their heads, clenching their fists as they recalled those monts, and Kael continued—
"Today is no different."
The people narrowed their eyes at those words.
"Today too, you do not have a choice.
If you refuse the Stonefangs today, it won’t be them entering through our gates.
It will be the United Tribes led by the Stormcallers."
Kael announced, and for an instant, the crowd went quiet and the tension in the air rose.
"They will trample our soldiers,"
Kael didn’t stop.
"They will break through our defenses.
They will crush our doors, destroy our walls, and barge in—
And when they enter—"
Kael paused for a slight mont.
"They won’t loot—
They will kill."
And as these words left Kael’s mouth, the silence deepened. Kael then looked at the people, staring into every single one of their eyes.
"They will kill your children,"
He said as he looked at the mothers.
"They will kill your elders.
They will kill the wounded.
They will kill every single one of us and...
If we do not act in haste, none of us will be able to do anything to stop it."
Kael’s words echoed throughout the square, and the people lowered their heads, their bodies trembling as they all began to imagine that horrifying sight. A woman near the front covered her mouth. A man’s face went pale.
Kael took one step forward, as if pushing the truth into them physically.
"Be very clear about it.
This is a desperate mont,"
He said.
"So we are taking desperate asures."
He pointed toward the Wall and—
"This alliance is not about comfort.
It is not about pride, nor about what you love or hate—
It is about survival."
Kael declared with a sharp look in his eyes as he saw people’s anger turning into sothing... far tar.
"And if you wish to survive—
This is the only way."
He gave the ultimatum, and after he stopped, the square turned deathly silent as people began to think.
Of course, not everyone was convinced. It was impossible to make the people accept sothing so absurd without facing any resistance whatsoever.
This was no different, even amongst the Velmourns, because here too, there were people who hated the Stonefangs more than they loved their lives.
And just as Kael was expecting—
"If the only way to live is to live with bastards who tore apart our families, then we’d rather die!"
One man shouted. The rest of the people around him were surprised at first—they did not think soone would dare to speak in front of Kael, especially after what happened just now—but soon, as they registered the man’s words, they too began to feel this way.
Or at least, that was how it should have gone. But suddenly—
"Sean Velmourn."
Kael called out, looking right at the man who spoke, with his sharp blue eyes.
"Both your father and mother lost their lives to the Stonefangs three years ago. You wanted to avenge them, but you weren’t able to join the Velmourn army. Ever since your parents passed, you have neglected your own life, worked only till you earned enough food to not starve to death. You have no wife, you father no children.
Quite frankly, you could die right this instant, and you wouldn’t care. One could even say you might find it relieving."
Kael explained the man’s entire history exactly according to what Imperia told him, then he looked right into the man’s eyes and—
"But this isn’t about you, Sean.
This isn’t about people who are prepared for death. This isn’t about those who would hold their deeply rooted hatred just so they could feel good about themselves as they perish.
This is about people who wish to live.
People who have families—the wives they love, the children they play with, the parents they cherish.
People who... would do anything in their power, fall to any lengths required if it ant they could save and protect what they hold important.
People who...
People who are scared to die.
People like... ."
Kael spoke as his gaze once again turned towards the rest of the crowd.
"The Velmourn na did not survive this long because of people who are prepared to die. The Velmourn na survived these extre conditions because your very blood wants you to survive.
Your very blood gives you strong, unbendable will.
Will that refuses to let you die—a voice inside you that constantly tells you to push yourself in these difficult days. Will that cos to you naturally because it is in your very blood.
Because that is what you are, that is what your blood makes you.
Survival experts.
Blood that will just not go extinct."
Kael’s words resonated with the Velmourns present, especially those who truly did have people they cherished—people they wanted to protect.
People who... wanted to live.
"And today too, even when all odds are against us,
We just cannot give in.
We will stand, we will make our move, no matter how desperate it is—
And we will fight."
Kael announced. At this ti, more people clenched their fists—not in frustration, but with a determined will.
The murmurs began again, but this ti, this wasn’t about the Stonefangs. It was about the Stormcallers and the other Tribes coming for them, and how they were going to tear them apart when they reached the gates.
It was about how instead of dying, they would follow Kael and do everything it took to survive.
Yes, the people now stood with Kael.
They were willing to accept foreign help even if it ant staying together with the enemy.
Kael had succeeded.
But then—
"This is impossible."
Just as everything was going in Kael’s way, a man who hated the current scenario to his core spoke up.
It was Draksis.
The previous Iron Council mber was glad that a mont like this ca—a mont where people could finally see just how foolish the outsider was, a mont where he... had the support of the people.
He couldn’t possibly let this mont fade so easily, so Draksis raised his voice.
"We and the Stonefangs cannot live together.
It can never happen!"
He shouted.
"What about food? We already lack food as it is. We could barely gather enough for our own people. How are we going to manage when we would have more mouths to feed?
What about command of the army? Who will control the Stonefang warriors? Who decides their punishnts if they make mistakes? Who decides their work? Their movent? Their weapons?"
His voice rose higher with each question, and he wasn’t done.
"And can we even trust Stonefangs? What if they too are together with the Stormcallers and ca to us with different intent?
Are we going to let our won, our elders, our children live together with people we once called our enemies—the sa people who destroyed multiple Velmourn families?
What’s stopping them from turning on us the mont they get inside?
Who will take responsibility if sothing like that happens? No—can anyone even take responsibility? Wouldn’t it be too late by—"
The more Draksis spoke, the stronger the crowd reacted, their fear mixing back into anger, and Kael—
He knew he couldn’t let it grow.
Therefore—
"These matters were discussed in the Iron Council,"
He cut him off.
"By mbers of the Iron Council.
And you, Draksis Velmourn—
Are not a mber of the Iron Council, so I advise you to stay in your boundaries."
Kael said, looking Draksis up and down.
Draksis’s face tightened at those words, and Kael didn’t wait for him to respond. He turned away from him like Draksis wasn’t worth another second and faced the people again—
"You were all called here because the rules of coexistence with the Stonefangs have already been decided. Everything that was of concern was discussed and thought through by the people you have been trusting your entire lives.
Today, I ask you to do the sa too.
Today, I will announce the new rules."
He paused, letting the words settle.
"Rules that, if you wish to survive, you must follow."
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