The fifth squad, now led by Raven, was gathered in the training room.

"Isn't there something wrong with Mira and Rem?" Thais exclaimed, breaking the silence.

"Since Kay died, Mira has been showing these signs... She's getting colder and colder. And it's not just her; Rem and the former captain have changed too," Raven replied, crossing her arms.

"I think this position of captain is overloading her," Sky said, looking at the floor.

"There must be something going on. How can a person change so much in such a short time?" Fiona asked, with a suspicious look.

"Look who's talking! Before, you hated Kay, but then you became a sweet person," Thais teased, smiling sideways.

"That's different!" Fiona replied, visibly bothered.

Suddenly, the sound of a helicopter interrupted the conversation.

"Were there going to be visitors today?" — Raven asked, frowning.

“We haven’t heard anything about that,” Kratos replied, already on alert.

An authoritative voice echoed through the base’s speakers.

“You’re not allowed to get any closer! This is a military area. Identify yourself!” Fernanda ordered firmly.

“Let’s see what’s going on,” Raven decided, leading the group to the courtyard.

On the way, Himitsu appeared, visibly drowsy.

“What’s going on?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.

“We want to know too,” Viviane replied, already prepared for anything.

Suddenly, Mira radioed.

“It looks like we’re in trouble. Let the helicopter in,” Mira announced, her voice serious.

“This sounds serious…” Sarah murmured uneasily.

The team moved aside to make room as the helicopter slowly landed in the courtyard.

“Mira, what’s going on?” — Himitsu asked impatiently.

— I was also just informed... But it's Emilia who's coming in that helicopter, — Mira replied, trying to remain calm.

— The princess? But why? — Sky exclaimed, incredulous.

— I don't know. Let's find out, — Mira replied, already heading towards the landing site.

As soon as the helicopter's blades stopped spinning, the side door burst open, and Emilia's desperate scream echoed through the courtyard.

"Save him!" she cried, completely shaken.

The soldiers quickly ran to the helicopter. Himitsu was the first to look inside and came across a shocking scene: the head of the guards was bleeding profusely, struggling to say his last words.

"It's too late... Protect the princess!" he said, coughing up blood. "The prince... rebelled... usurped the throne..."

"There's too much blood. We can't save him!" Himitsu realized, as she pressed the wound in vain.

"Protect the princess!" the head of the guards shouted with his last strength, before succumbing.

"What the hell is going on?" Raven asked, completely confused by the chaotic scene.

The squad leaders watched from the hallway in silence, trying to process the gravity of the situation. Emilia, kneeling on the floor, cried uncontrollably, unable to articulate a single word. The pain and terror on her face spoke louder than any explanation.

— The prince and some guards joined forces to seize the throne. In the process, several guards, the king and the queen were killed in the castle. The prince will announce the plans of this monarch and declare the princess a traitor, accusing her of killing her own parents, who were in favor of an alliance with the ghouls! — reported the helicopter pilot, in an urgent tone.

— And taking advantage of this, he will temporarily take his father's place as king to hunt down the "traitor". At the same time, he will try to make contact with the ghouls, seeking a non-aggression agreement against the humans. — added Mira, her eyes fixed on the horizon.

— Yes. The army and the institute are the only ones who will fight the ghouls, but this is the only place where the princess has a better chance of surviving. — said the pilot.

— That's a lie! The security at the institute is much better than at the army! — Fernanda replied, appearing in the hallway accompanied by the squad leaders.

— You can't trust the people inside the institute! — argued one of the guards present.

— That's right... and neither can you! — shouted Thais, shooting at the guard before he could react.

— What did you do?! — exclaimed the soldiers, perplexed.

— He was going to shoot! — replied Thais, seriously, pointing to the gun that had fallen next to the guard's body.

— This is serious. — Joana murmured, tense.

— What are we going to do now? — asked Lena, visibly restless.

— Let's isolate the base. Give us some distance and start digging a moat around it! — Mira ordered firmly.

— Wait, isn't that an exaggeration? — Fernanda asked hesitantly.

Rem appeared next to the former captain, his face full of concern.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

— We were expecting a revolution, but we didn't imagine it would happen so quickly and start inside the castle. — she said.

— You must have seen on the news about the wall that the institute and the castle are building around the capital. They're going to isolate themselves from the other cities. In addition, the institute is strengthening its defenses. It will become practically impenetrable there. We can only pray that the leader there isn't killed by some traitor. — the former captain added.

Mira clenched her fists, thoughtful. "They really are going to abandon us... but that doesn't change our duty. We'll protect what we can."

The tension in the base was palpable. Mira was trying to organize the soldiers when San suddenly stopped, tilting his head as if he heard something in the distance.

— Are you listening? — he asked, breaking the silence.

— Listening to what? — Mira replied, frowning.

— Wait! — San asked, raising a hand while closing his eyes, concentrating.

After a few seconds, his eyes opened, tense.

"Helicopters! They're above the clouds!" he warned.

"Above the clouds?" Mira became serious. "They're trying to catch us by surprise. Everyone in position!" he ordered, activating the radio.

The dull sound of explosions began to echo as metallic objects began to fall from the sky. Grenades descended in erratic trajectories, but clearly aimed at the base.

"Grenades!" Raven shouted, alarmed.

"Now they asked for it!" Himitsu exclaimed, manifesting his tentacles.

The mini ghoul, who was high up on the base's walls, raised his head and shouted:

"Danger!" His black wings opened, and two more tentacles emerged from his body as he took flight.

The grenades continued to fall, but before they touched the ground, the mini ghoul intercepted each one with its tentacles, deflecting the projectiles as if they were toys.

BOOM! The explosions reverberated in the air, but none of them reached the base. Sparks and shockwaves lit up the sky, but the perimeter remained intact.

“He’s protecting us! Don’t stop! Prepare the defenses!” Mira ordered, as she watched the mini ghoul in action.

After minutes that seemed endless, the bombardment ceased. The sound of the helicopters’ blades diminished, until they disappeared completely.

San took a deep breath, relieved.

“They’re leaving…” he announced.

Mira looked at the sky with a hard expression.

“That was a warning. They don’t have the courage to attack directly, but they tried to destroy us from afar. Everyone, stay alert. This won’t stop here.” — And then, looking at the mini ghoul, she added: — Good job. You saved us.

The mini ghoul landed softly, its wings still spread, and asked:

— Kill?

— No need. They're already gone. — Mira replied.

The mini ghoul retracted his wings, looking satisfied.

“They are clearly trying to kill us... but if we go to war with them, there will be casualties in the capital,” Mira pondered, worried.

Emilia, who was nearby, looked up, her voice still trembling:

“My brother had his eye on Mineforde from the beginning. When they realized you stopped going there, he knew that that kingdom would no longer be of any use. That’s why he killed our parents, to usurp the throne!”

Mira approached, holding the princess’s shoulders.

“Raise your head. What do you want to do now? You will be our queen,” Mira said, with determination.

“I don’t know... I’ve never been interested in the throne. I want to become a soldier,” Emilia replied, sincerely.

Suddenly, in the distance, a thick dark smoke began to rise on the horizon.

“That direction... it can’t be!” Fernanda exclaimed.

— Mini ghoul, let's check it out! — Lena ordered, manifesting her wings.

“Okay!” — the mini ghoul replied, also manifesting his wings before taking flight with Lena.

“They wouldn't be that stupid, would they?” Raven exclaimed, visibly incredulous.

“You still don't know my brother,” Emilia replied, with a serious and somber expression.

A few minutes later, the sound of a video call interrupted the tense atmosphere. It was Lena. Joana answered quickly, and Lena's face appeared on the screen, accompanied by a background filled with smoke and flames.

“The airport is gone!” Joana reported, watching the screen as Lena showed the scene.

“The plane, the helicopters, the fuel... it's all on fire!” Lena confirmed, with the camera shaking slightly as she tried to capture the chaos around her.

Mira remained silent for a moment, taking deep breaths to stay calm. Her eyes conveyed tension, but her voice was firm:

"Record a detailed video and get back to us immediately. We'll need that proof."

"Understood!" Lena replied, nodding briefly before hanging up the call.

The sound of the connection being cut echoed through the room, leaving a heavy silence in the air. Mira turned to the other soldiers, her eyes as steady as steel.

"They're trying to weaken us before we can even react. We won't let that happen. Stay ready." Her voice was cold, but it carried determination.

Rem placed her hand gently on Mira's shoulder, trying to convey calm amidst the tension.

"Leave them alone. If we go there, it won't be a simple conversation," she said, her tone firm but controlled.

Mira, however, couldn't hide the anger in her eyes.

"We lost comrades to reclaim the airport. They went there and trampled on our efforts! We can't let it go like this!" — Mira replied, her voice thick with indignation.

Rem frowned, staring directly at Mira.

— Are you ready to kill other humans? — she asked, her voice cutting through the air like a blade.

Mira hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath as she looked at the ground.

— What do you want me to do? I... I don't know how to act after this! — Mira blurted out, clenching her fists tightly.

Emilia, who had been silent until then, took a step forward and spoke with conviction:

— He's an idiot. Soon the people who are supporting him will realize that. — she said coldly.

Mira looked up, her eyes meeting Emilia's. Although the princess's words were harsh, there was a tone of truth that echoed in the tense silence that followed.

— It will be our truth against his. Let the people decide who to believe. Record videos reporting what you saw and post them on the internet. Send them to all your contacts too. — Mira ordered, her voice firm and full of determination. — Also, get a room and an outfit for Emilia. As for weapons for her, we'll figure it out later.

— What are you going to do? — Raven asked, intrigued, as she followed Mira with her eyes.

— Just a call. — Mira replied, without turning around, walking away with determined steps.

The silence in the courtyard was heavy, but everyone knew that Mira had a plan.

"If he wants to use lies to win, let's use the truth to take him down," she thought as she picked up her cell phone.

Mira started calling, she tried a few times but got no answer.

Mira returned to the soldiers, her face full of concern.

— No answer? — Raven exclaimed, noticing her expression.

— That's strange... — Mira murmured, looking at the cell phone in her hands. — Usually, on the second try, Yumi answers me.

— Maybe she's busy. Try again later. — suggested Raven

Mira sighed deeply before raising her voice.

— Make the videos and publish them. Show the attack on the base and the destruction they caused at the airport. Make it clear what is happening! — she ordered, trying to regain control of the situation.

— Alright! — the soldiers replied in unison, taking out their cell phones.

However, as soon as they opened the internet, the environment was filled with a suffocating tension. Several headlines appeared on the screens, all with a single theme: the army.

Viviane, visibly shaken, with her hands shaking, handed the cell phone to Mira.

— You need to see this... — Viviane said, almost voiceless.

Mira frowned and took the device. As she read the news, her face lost color.

"Fifth, Fourth and Third Divisions suffer heavy casualties against ghouls."

"The Fifth Division loses its captain in mortal combat against a single ghoul."

"The Captain of the Fourth Division eliminates a powerful ghoul, but she is in critical condition and unconscious. The soldiers eliminated the other ghouls who were present."

"The Third Division defeats the ghouls, but pays a high price: several casualties and a wounded captain, although out of danger."

The words seemed to echo in Mira's mind, each line a blow.

"Why...?" Mira murmured, shocked, as her eyes scanned the details of the reports.

The silence that took over the room was almost unbearable. The soldiers looked at Mira, waiting for some word, but she was paralyzed. "Why is everything falling apart at once?" she thought, feeling the weight of responsibility on her shoulders increase.

"There's no way it was the work of the same monarch... Could it be those generals?" the former captain exclaimed, crossing his arms, as he looked at the horizon with concern.

The mini ghoul flew over the area, observing the surroundings carefully.