Five months had passed since Chloe's visit, and the war had only escalated since then. Initially, it was a free-for-all among the federations, each cutting off trade with the others, which led to their economies collapsing from within. This internal damage was more than any other federation had inflicted on them. Consequently, they were forced to form alliances to survive— the North Federation allied with the West Federation, and the East Federation allied with the South Federation.

      Although they were now allies, tension ran high among them as everyone knew it was only a matter of time before allies morph into tomorrow's enemies. The fear of betrayal hung heavily in the air, a guillotine blade waiting to fall, for none wished to be stabbed in the back amidst the unpredictable whirlwinds of war.

       Chloe had been tirelessly helping out, not siding with any specific Federation, instead, she focused on aiding citizens turned refugees evacuate from all regions. Though she was from the West Federation, her assistance reached far beyond its borders. However, being just one person, her help, while significant, was a drop in the ocean as millions still needed aid.

         On the flip side, Verlin had remained secluded in his Pyramid of Solitude. The artificial star within his abode fueled his powers, causing them to surge at an astonishing pace, seemingly doubling every fortnight. The power he wielded five months ago felt trivial compared to his current might. Merely two months back, his super hearing was able to capture sounds from across the globe. With enough concentration, he could discern the cries of war victims, the crackle of gunfire, the woosh of launched missiles, the silent prayers, and even the whispers of those profiting from the ongoing havoc.

      He could hear everything, At the beginning he felt remourseful for the continuous surge of agony from the families that had been torn by the war, but he had slowly gotten used to the screams and cries. Once sharp and painful, slowly became the norm, like a universal constant. Something that would always be there. It got to the point that the noises started to become annoying, he had decided to keep his hearing to the area around the pyramid. And rely on the pyramid's sensor's to find any abnormalities.

      Chloe had been visiting regularly to maintain her suit and to replenish its energy. And she would be visiting very soon for her maintenance. And just as that thought crossed Verlin's mind, The door's to the pyramid opened up revealing Chloe figure as she walked into the pyramid. The once playful and happy Chloe was nowhere to be found replaced with a Chloe that had been shaped by the constant exposure to the turmoil and strife surrounding her.

     Without being asked Chloe took off her armor as Desna, came to pick it up for recharging. There was no word exchanged between them as this had become a customary routine. Noticing the tired look and the visible bags that stood out under her green eye's, Verlin said, " You need to get some rest. You'll end up collapsing from exhaustion at this rate."

      Chloe met Verlin's gaze, her eyes clouded with accumulated fatigue and unshed tears, and replied with a whisper, "Rest is a luxury I cannot afford, every second I spend asleep is a second where someone out there is suffering, losing their life."

       Verlin walked up to Chloe and put his hand on her shoulder,  "Chloe, you are giving everything you can, but if you wear yourself out, you won't be able to help anyone."

"I know, Verlin," she admitted softly, her voice a delicate whisper in the echoing silence, "but knowing that doesn't make it any easier to close my eyes."

 
       Verlin hesitated for a second before reaching out and giving Chloe a hug, "You're doing a great job. You've saved thousands of people's lives. You might not know it but there a thousands of people that look up to you. The more rested you are the more people you can help."

        Chloe, her body exhausted but her spirit fighting to stay alight, nodded slowly. "Thank you, Verlin. That means alot more than you think."

       Feeling the weight of her own body, the heaviness of her own eyelids, finally conceded, "Alright, a few minutes then, just to refocus."

      With those words, she passed out, falling into a deep, rejuvenating sleep, her body going limp in Verlin's arms. Verlin watched as her breathing evened out, as the lines of stress eased from her face. Verlin carefully carried her to one of the pods and gently placed her into it.

       While Chloe rested, Verlin approached Desna, speaking in a whisper, "Keep an eye on her. Let her rest as long as she needs. She has been in action nonstop for too long, her body and mind need time to heal."

Desna nodded, "Alright"

         Verlin left the room with a gloomy look on his face, he didn't like seeing Chloe like that. It weighed on his heart, seeing her so worn out and tired. He truly hopes that this war has good enough results, and all of Chloe's efforts won't be in vain. But deep down he knows that this war is fueled by human ambition and hidden agendas. 

         Although the West Federation government believes they are going to accomplish World peace through this war. There are people funding the war and profiting from it, when these people find that the profits no longer outweigh the loss, they would cut their funding supply, and the war would, eventually, find its inevitable conclusion. At that time whether the assumed goal were to be reached would be of no concern. 

          Making Chloe's efforts and every death caused by the war a casualty of their greed and manipulative schemes. To regular people the end of the war would be a good thing as they think it was another federation attacking them and they had defended themselves. They would even rejoice that there family member's deaths and misplaced homes were not without purpose, Not knowing that everything was an illusion with a lot of loss and nothing gained.

        And to make sure this doesn't happen Verlin had come up with a plan to make sure that this war would be the last humanity has. 

         Verlin thought to himself as he made his way to the top room of the pyramid. He knew humans well, very well. He knew that for them to truly unite there had to be a common enemy, a larger threat. As he arrived at the room, it lit up showing the interior. It was lined up with robots that looked exactly like Verlin, numbered up to a thousand. 

         He had been creating these robot replicas of himself along with Desna, their interior made of durable material and their exterior was covered with a thin layer of kryptonium. If he wanted to create a United world through posing as a common threat, he would have to make sure that even after his 'defeat' they wouldn't go back to fighting themselves, and having the continents several thousand kilometers away from each other wouldn't work.  Escpeicially since he would be cutting off communication between them.

        A hologram of the entire globe stood at the front of the room, but it looked different from the one on the planet. The difference being that all the continents formerly separated by a body of water were now connected and locked together.

        Verlin figured out that the heaviest continent was the West Federation, weighing just over 3 quintillion tons. He might not have the strength to move it now, but if his strength keeps growing at the same rate, he'll be able to merge all the continents into one super continent in about two and a half months.

       He hopes he doesn't have to follow through with this plan. If he does, he'll have to destroy all governments, including those he had acquainted with, including General Smith and anyone else the people believe able to resist him.

       Even if this war yields no results, he would make sure that Chloe's effort and all the sacrifices that were made wouldn't be in vain. By the time the war ends, the world would be united whether they like it or not.