First Blood

The first casualty of the new war did not fall with gunfire.

It arrived quietly, wrapped in familiarity.

Vera was in the west garden when the call came—mid-morning, sunlight soft across the stone paths, Vanessa chasing butterflies while a guard pretended not to smile. For a fleeting moment, the world felt almost normal.

Then her phone rang.

She answered without looking at the screen.

“Yes?”

There was silence on the other end. Breathing. Ragged.

Then Luca’s voice, ...