Citizens' POV — "
The sun crept over the horizon, casting long shadows across the now-mighty capital of the Blackwood Empire. It had been five long years since the Great Lockdown. To many, it felt like a lifetime. But to those loyal, it was a rebirth.
In the city square, citizens gathered, most wearing deep black coats stitched with the Empire's seal. Everywhere you turned, there was pride—but also fear. The Black Axe Men patrolled with unmatched precision. Their boots struck the ground with such synchronized thunder it echoed in the hearts of every onlooker.
"Can you believe it's been five years?" whispered Elina, a young woman dressed in the strict school uniform of the Royal Institute of Blackwood Excellence. Her surname, once forgotten, now carried Blackwood proudly.
"Feels like yesterday," her friend Daren said, adjusting his textbook-filled bag. "I still remember the old days—before the law. Now everything we do, everything we say… it must honor the Blackwood name."
Children marched to school in rows. Education was no longer a choice; it was a duty. History classes focused solely on the rise of the Empire. Military theory was taught by veterans. Blackwood Ethics and Loyalty Studies was now the core subject.
"My cousin got expelled last month," one citizen whispered. "For calling himself by his old surname. It was just a slip, but..." he trailed off, his eyes flickering to the passing Black Axe Men.
"You think things will ever go back to normal?" someone asked.
"This is normal now," another replied. "We don't question it. We survive. We thrive under Blackwood."
Still, despite the fear, there was admiration. The economy was unshakable. Infrastructure flawless. Crime had vanished. Everything worked. But at a cost.
There was pride in survival. Pride in discipline. And an understanding—spoken or not—that this wasn't just an empire.
It was Blackwood. And to exist here meant carrying that name with pride… or not at all.
---