Power Vacuum Chapter 12 Official Apr 2026

It felt fragile. It felt temporary. It felt exactly like the beginning of something far more dangerous than war.

“It requires blood,” rumbled Kaelen Thorne from the far end. The man-mountain’s hands rested on the table like twin battering rams. “The Broker’s bloodline, to be precise. And you don’t have it.”

Elara Venn wasn't hidden away for her protection.

“My name is Elara Venn.” Her voice echoed through the chamber. “Daughter of Marcus Venn—the Broker. Hidden since birth for reasons that will become clear to you shortly. I am alive. I am unharmed. And I am currently in the custody of Jax Marren.” Power Vacuum Chapter 12 Official

The Broker had no living heirs. Or so everyone believed.

Jax stood at the head of the obsidian table, its surface scarred by decades of territorial disputes carved into the stone. Twelve chairs lined the sides. Only six were filled. The others sat empty—memorials to those who had fallen in the three weeks since the Broker’s assassination.

Kaelen Thorne took longer. His massive fingers drummed the stone. Finally, he grunted. “The Iron March stands with the Rite. Official.” It felt fragile

And none of them even knew they were bleeding yet.

“We’re not asking.” Jax’s voice carried no heat. That was what made him terrifying. “We’re telling.”

The council chamber had never felt smaller. “It requires blood,” rumbled Kaelen Thorne from the

“He had one,” Jax said quietly. “He hid her better than any of his secrets. Because she was his greatest secret.” He tapped the chip. “The mother was a rival family’s daughter. An alliance forged in blood and betrayal. When the mother died under suspicious circumstances, the Broker couldn’t risk keeping Elara close. So he erased her. Gave her a new name. A new life. Even she didn’t know who she was until three days ago.”

“I’m not asking you to love me. I’m not asking you to trust me. I’m asking you to accept that the alternative is the streets running red until there’s no one left to lead. The Docks didn’t fall to me because I’m the strongest fighter or the smartest strategist. They fell to me because their people were tired of dying for a throne that didn’t exist.”