UNIFIED W

Chapter 41: Irregular, part 6

Citizens gathered outside Von City's headquarters, voices low, eyes fixed forward as they waited for their leader.

The Fire Clan leader's coming words carried the weight of the clan's future, holding the power to divide them or keep them united through the long, cold nights to come.

The fate of the clan lay solely in the hands of their leader, and he understood the weight of the coming speech, feeling anxiety and, for the first time in his life, fear.

Inside his office, the Fire Clan leader's fingers drummed nervously against the desk. Sweat ran in thin lines down his temple.

He took a breath, trying to steady himself, when a knock came at the office door. Outside, the Fire Clan's inner council waited, ready to walk with him to the podium beyond the headquarters' gates.

"Sir, the people are waiting."

The Fire Clan leader cast a brief glance out the window at the gathered crowd, then turned and left his office for the podium.

He led the way in silence, the inner council close behind. In the dim corridor, their shadows crept up his back, wrapping his shoulders like a heavy cloak.

The inner gate swung open, and the clan leader emerged with his council.

Flashing cameras and calling reporters filled the square, until he took a few steps forward and stood behind the podium, and silence suddenly settled over everything.

Silence pressed in from all sides. The Fire Clan leader felt it in his chest, in the way his hands itched to move.

Eyes followed him, unblinking. A sharp inhale, a slow exhale. Then he lifted himself to speak.

"Greetings, people of Von City. Today, I stand as your leader. For the last month, my council and I have worked without rest to improve our lives since the king's harsh judgment."

The Fire Clan leader paused and looked out over the crowd. Their faces were still, their eyes flicking elsewhere, and he felt the cold weight of their quiet doubt spreading quickly among them.

The start was harder than he expected. Still, he pressed on, searching for a way to connect with his people.

"Fate has not been kind to us lately, especially to me."

Whispers and murmurs spread through the crowd, but the Fire Clan leader pressed on with his speech.

"I lost my son in the Great Clan War, and since then our clan has endured humiliation."

The Fire Clan leader heard the crowd's voices grow louder but continued on.

"It's no secret that we lost our most powerful weapon during the test event."

"But worst of all..."

The words caught in his throat. He breathed in and out, each inhale sharp, each exhale longer, struggling to calm the weight pressing on him.

He glanced behind him. His council remained perfectly still, motionless as statues, and a chill ran down his spine.

Turning back to the crowd, the Fire Clan leader took a steadying breath, ready to give voice to the weight he had carried all month.

"But worst of all... I left my dying grandson with people I don't know, people who don't understand the ways of the Fire Clan."

"This... this is what's been eating at me..."

He didn't finish the sentence. A shout burst from the crowd.

"Your people are dying! And this is what you're talking about?"

A second shout erupted from elsewhere in the crowd.

"My family doesn't know how we'll survive the coming cold, or the long nights ahead."

"We're barely surviving now!"

"Help us!"

"What kind of leader lets his own people starve and die?"

The noise swelled, shouts overlapping as the mood turned hostile.

Shouts turned into blows. Guards fought their way through the crowd, trying to drag people apart.

"Order... ORDER!"

The Fire Clan leader shouted, his voice cracking, but the crowd continued to roar over him.

Just as the Fire Clan leader moved to step down from the podium, a sharp pain shot through his back.

He barely had time to turn before five daggers sank into his back, driving straight toward his heart. He fell, lifeless, to the ground.

For a heartbeat, everything stood still. The crowd stared at the podium.

The Fire Clan leader lay on the ground, barely moving. Around him, the five council members he had trusted most stood over him, daggers covered in blood.

The crowd froze, staring at the scene in disbelief.

One by one, the five council members crossed over the Fire Clan leader's body and walked toward the podium.

The crowd froze, mouths open, eyes fixed on the council, questioning why the guards did not intervene.

For a tense heartbeat, no one moved. Then the council began speaking in unison.

"We stand before you now as your new leaders. As your brothers and sisters. As the solution to all your problems."

"Today, a new chapter begins. Together, we will survive what lies ahead, and together, we will shape the Fire Clan's future."

No one responded at first. Then a single cheer broke the silence, followed by another, until the sound began to spread.

The cheering grew louder and louder, overwhelming the square. The council did not move, standing over their fallen leader as blood stained the stone between them and the crowd.