The Darklands

Admiral Rylee Voss oversees the aftermath of the war against the Dominion, dealing with massive casualty figures and the absence of Kate Morrison, whose transformation has left no detectable trace.

Petro's first morning at the Citadel. Prayer feels hollow. Observes families at breakfast - children playing, normal life. Meets Mark, a former Church believer who found peace here. Afternoon reconnaissance - cataloging defenses while suppressing emotional reactions.

After killing a young witch in the forest, Petro visits Suzanne's grave and reports to Malchus, who reveals awareness of Petro's habit of checking property records and assigns a near-suicide cult mission.

The Parley: neutral ground between armies. Petro and Hank meet Martin's party under white flags. Martin dismounts, studies Petro with grief and anger. Initial exchanges tense. Martin agrees to visit Citadel interior under truce. Delegation enters gates.

Petro enters the Citadel posing as grieving refugee and meets Elder Miriam, who warmly welcomes him. He encounters Father Aldric, a defected Church priest, and meets families who fled persecution. That evening, he shares meals and learns their stories.

Night before siege. Petro cannot sleep. Hank joins him on walls. Elder Miriam summons them to Citadel's deepest archive—restricted area with preserved truth about the Collapse. Reveals full historical reality: both religions coexisted peacefully until resource wars sparked conflict.

Petro scouts the Citadel from a distant hilltop for three days, observing normal village life that contradicts expectations of a demonic fortress. He witnesses a funeral with genuine human grief and begins questioning Church teachings.

Five years after his revelation, Petro executes an innocent man in Westhollow. The chapter tracks his mid-thirties through early forties with clear temporal markers: growing disillusionment, Elena's wedding at twenty, granddaughter Sara's birth, and Suzanne's three-month decline from consumption...

Sir Martin POV: leads Church army of 1000+ soldiers with 300+ knights toward Citadel. Internal conflict between duty and growing doubt about Church's righteousness. Remembers Petro as child and trained knight. High Inquisitor Aldric pressures for total extermination with no mercy.