Chapter 2

At dawn, Kitay praises Rin after the battle, but Rin sees the toll their bond takes on him. Khudla’s survivors approach in awe as Rin reassures them in their dialect and declares the Southern Coalition’s advance. Rin dreads the liberation’s aftermath—surveying executions, stripped infrastructure, and collaborators—yet organizes searches for hostages.

Guided by his own survival instincts, Kitay leads rescue teams while Rin searches the burned ruins and finds Yang Souji chained in a cellar. After freeing him, they discuss Khudla’s fall; Souji confirms the Mugenese used a single gas canister to break defenses. In the commandeered headquarters, Souji’s Sinegard and Militia background emerges, along with his family’s death in the flood. He presses Rin on why she won’t unleash annihilating fire; she cites indiscriminate slaughter and her Seal-limited channeling through Kitay.

Exhausted and haunted by the temple screams, Rin smokes opium and enters the Seal, confronting Altan’s specter. She relives the burning as controlled penance and repression, partitioning guilt to remain functional.

Back in camp, Souji’s Iron Wolves prove territorial, defying Coalition orders and siphoning rice. Kitay counsels patience, but Rin seeks to secure Souji’s allegiance. In a private confrontation in the woods, Souji rejects joining the Coalition; Rin overpowers him, burning his neck and coercing his submission while preserving his role over the Iron Wolves beneath her command.

When discussing next moves, Souji reveals the Federation’s heavier presence is actually concentrated in Rooster Province, naming Tikany among occupied villages. Realizing they have focused on the wrong front, Rin orders preparations to depart for Ruijin and reassess strategy toward the south.