*Nemesia's POV*

The new day dawned with a tense silence between Evar and me as we pretended last night's heated exchange had never happened. We continued our journey towards the mountains, each step drawing us closer to the rebels' camp. As we passed a village, the carefree laughter of children playing near a river momentarily lightened the mood. Their innocent joy stood in stark contrast to the path I had chosen.

Switching back to our human forms as we ventured further from the village, the sound of cascading water caught our attention. Following the sound, we discovered a large dam controlling the river's flow.

"It’s impressive, isn’t it?" Evar remarked, gazing up at the structure built of massive stones and thick timbers. "This dam ensures the fields downstream stay irrigated and protects the villages from flooding."

I studied the dam, noting how the water's force was harnessed by human ingenuity.

"How does it work exactly?" I asked, my mind already ticking through the potential of such a structure in my plans for revenge.

Evar explained the mechanics of the gates and the overflow channels that prevented the water from overtopping.

"It’s vital for the region. Without it, the capital and the surrounding lands would suffer greatly."

The strategic importance of the dam planted a dark seed in my thoughts. "Imagine if it were to break," I mused aloud, watching his reaction closely.

Evar’s expression tightened.

"It would be catastrophic. The village we passed, the fields—they’d all be underwater. Innocents would suffer."

"That might be the price of sending a clear message," I said coldly, turning to face him. His discomfort was evident, but my heart had hardened too much to falter now.

"I don't think flooding lands is the right way," I heard Athena's voice in my head, her tone filled with worry.

"Silence, Athena," I snapped internally, closing off my empathy that threatened to resurface. "Our path is one of vengeance, not mercy."

Evar sighed, his shoulders heavy. "If this is your choice, I'll help. But the cost... it will be high, Nemesia."

"I'm prepared to pay it," I affirmed, my resolve steeling me against the doubts that lingered like the morning fog.

*Evar's POV*

Under the cloak of darkness, we approached the dam again. Nemesia, in her powerful lycan form, was ready to unleash havoc upon the structure. My role was to ensure we weren’t caught, to use the skills I’d honed over years of living on the fringes.

As Nemesia began tearing at the timbers, her strength formidable, I kept watch. Every nerve in my body was on edge, listening for the slightest sound of alarm. The dam groaned under her assault, the sound of cracking wood echoing in the still night.

"Quickly, more to the left, the foundation beam!" I whispered urgently, directing her strikes to the dam’s weakest points. Together, we worked with fierce precision, the adrenaline of the task at hand driving us.

When the structure finally gave way, the water burst forth with a roar, the sound of destruction mingled with the rushing of the released river. We retreated into the shadows, the gravity of what we’d done settling like a weight on my chest.

As we made our escape, I couldn’t help but feel torn. The strategic part of me knew this act would shake the very foundations of the capital's sense of security. But another part, the part that had seen the children playing by the river, was filled with regret.

"We need to move faster, Evar," Nemesia urged, pulling me from my thoughts.

I followed, the image of the dam breaking forever etched in my memory, a stark reminder of the path I had chosen by aligning with Nemesia.

*Third person's POV*

As the dam collapsed, the aftermath was immediate and devastating. The village downstream was caught completely unawares, the floodwaters sweeping through homes and fields with merciless force. Families were displaced, their lives uprooted in moments of chaos and loss.

At the capital, the news of the dam’s destruction sent shockwaves through the corridors of power. The king, faced with a disaster of unforeseen magnitude, called for immediate aid to the affected areas, his concern genuine and pressing.

Melody, standing beside Marco as the news arrived, felt a pang of sympathy for the victims, her past hardships making her acutely aware of their suffering. "We must help them, Marco," she urged, her voice filled with compassion.

Marco, however, felt a gnawing suspicion. "This wasn’t an accident," he muttered, his mind racing with possibilities. "Who stands to gain from such chaos?"

His command to investigate the dam for signs of sabotage was swift and resolute, his anger and suspicions almost as strong as the fierce protectiveness he felt towards Melody. But for now, anger blinded him a lot more... the female who ran from him. Who DARED to... He will get her...

As the kingdom rallied to support the flood victims, the true extent of the catastrophe began to unfold, laying bare the vulnerabilities and challenges of a land where the line between friend and foe was as turbulent as the waters that now flowed through the broken dam.