On a gray morning, with fog still draping the hills,
Vann entered the meeting tent, clad in his black and gold armor,
followed steadily by Kaiden.
Princess Niren awaited him, seated simply on a cotton cushion,
no weapon at her side—only a small olive wood necklace,
symbol of her ancient land.
She spoke quietly:
> "If you came seeking an enemy… you won't find one here."
Vann replied without hesitation:
> "I came seeking rule... and if you stand in my way, you are my enemy."
Niren smiled with faint sarcasm:
> "And you call yourself the heir of justice?
You attack a land that never drew its sword."
He approached and sat before her, voice low but firm:
> "I'm not asking for permission… I'm making an offer.
I want to annex your land, to make you part of the coming kingdom.
I will not insult you... nor kill you.
But your throne will not remain yours."
She gazed at him long, then said:
> "My answer… is no."
Silence.
Then, in a stronger tone, she added:
> "I will not give my land to appease the ghosts of your past."
Vann left the tent and ordered Seth to launch the attack—
but the plan was not "annihilation," but a swift "seizure strike."
The target was the city of Loren, the first capital of the Land of Peace,
its political and administrative heart.
The assault came like a flood.
Kaiden stormed the walls with his prepared soldiers,
mercenaries besieged the gates,
and within hours, the city fell.
Vann neither burned villages nor slaughtered civilians—
but officially declared Loren under his new rule.
Niren's army retreated after the heavy blow,
hiding in smaller western towns, trying to regroup.
When Vann entered Loren's palace,
Niren was brought before him, captive, her hands bound, yet proud.
She said bitterly:
> "One city does not topple a nation."
Vann answered:
> "It topples its pride… the rest is just a matter of time."
He ordered her placed in a special wing, a "prisoner of honor,"
guarded personally by Kaiden.
The city was immediately reorganized,
and Seth began enforcing Golden State laws within it.
Thus, the first city of the Land of Peace fell into Vann's grasp.
Not the end of the nation…
but the beginning of its downfall.