Scene: Delvaron Presidential Mansion — President Kael Dran's POV
It was a calm morning in Delvaron.
Too calm.
The scent of roasted coffee beans drifted through the open veranda, dancing with the light breeze. I sat back in my garden chair, barefoot, sipping slowly from a fine porcelain cup—handcrafted from the southern coast. My wife always made sure I started the day with peace.
The birds chirped like the country wasn't on the edge of being wiped off the map.
I had no idea.
None.
No alerts. No warnings. No secret cables from embassies. The Blackwood Empire hadn't made a sound in weeks. Last thing we heard, their King had gone silent. Some said he was dead. Others said his wife had taken over completely.
> "Power struggles," I'd told my cabinet last week. "Let the royals fight each other. We'll keep building trade quietly."
I remember laughing at the rumors. Said something like, 'Empires collapse inward, not outward.'
Foolish words.
As I leaned back in my chair, one of my aides, Jarren, approached with a tablet in his hand and a disturbed look on his face.
> "Sir, something strange is happening," he said, not even bowing.
> "What now?" I asked lazily, not even looking up.
> "There are… mass B.A.M. troop movements near the border of Sector Twelve."
I sat up slowly.
> "Blackwood?" I asked.
> "Yes, sir. Satellite scans show armored carriers. They're using stealth field tech—our systems almost didn't catch it. It's... coordinated."
My pulse dropped slightly. That kind of silence?
That wasn't a military drill.
That was a decapitation strike.
I took the tablet from him and flipped through the images. Heat signatures. Troop formations. Massive shadows in motion. No insignias, no broadcasts, no declarations.
> "Have they sent a diplomatic envoy?"
> "None, sir. And... there's more."
He hesitated.
> "What?"
> "There are confirmed reports that the King himself is with them."
I froze.
That rumor I mocked?
He wasn't dead.
He wasn't silent.
He was coming.
And he brought hell with him.
I stood abruptly, the cup falling from my hand and shattering across the stone tiles.
> "Call an emergency defense session. Activate the western border drones. Scramble the diplomatic channels—every major power needs to know Delvaron is under threat."
Jarren nodded and ran.
As I stared out across the garden, the breeze suddenly felt colder.
For the first time in my rule, I wasn't sure if I was leading a country...
...or waiting for it to become a memory.
---