The Knoll Empire was cracking. Not from an invading fleet, nor from foreign sabotage—but from a single being who floated in silence above their stars.
Kai's brief pulse of Sage aura had done more damage than a thousand wars.
---
The marble halls of the imperial palace shuddered as ministers, generals, and nobles shouted over one another.
"This is heresy!" one minister cried, veins bulging in his neck. "The people speak of him as a god!"
"The fleets are shattered in morale!" another countered. "Entire armadas are refusing to redeploy. They believe fighting him is suicide!"
The Emperor, Veylor Knoll, slammed his fist against the crystalline throne. Cracks webbed across its surface, the sacred artifact trembling beneath his rage.
"Silence! You think I care for your fear? We are the Knoll Empire—guardians of the Milky Way!"
But even as he roared, whispers seeped through the court.
Guardians? Or slaves trembling under the shadow of a Sage?
---
Below, the common people no longer spoke of their Emperor.
"The god in the sky… he bent fleets without lifting a hand."
"Not even the Emperor's strongest generals could resist."
"They say he smiled when the orbital fortress broke."
Temples once devoted to the imperial line now burned incense in Kai's name. Priests faltered mid-prayer, their chants unconsciously shifting toward the "Golden Sage."
Rebellion no longer needed organization—it was born from faith.
--
In hidden chambers, resistance leaders whispered with newfound boldness.
"We strike now," one said, his voice trembling with both fear and excitement. "The empire's aura of invincibility is gone."
"No." Another shook his head. "We don't need to strike. He has already done it. All we must do is wait, and the people will crown him themselves."
Already, fleets in the outer systems were refusing orders. Commanders invoked "the will of the Sage" as justification for disobedience.
---
Directors of espionage sat in grim silence as reports flooded in.
"Entire planetary governors have ceased sending tributes."
"Merchant guilds have declared neutrality—they no longer recognize imperial law."
"Even the war academies are fracturing. Some students chant his name in the training halls."
"Contain it," the Director said, though his voice wavered.
Another officer whispered back, "How do you contain faith?"
---
At last, Veylor Knoll gathered his most trusted Peak Galactic commanders in the War Citadel.
"We must strike again," said Grand Marshal Durn, his body scarred by a lifetime of conquest. "Even if he is Sage, his existence within our galaxy is humiliation!"
Another commander slammed the table. "And lose more fleets? Do you not see? He toys with us! We are insects to him!"
The council descended into shouting, but one truth silenced them all—every military strategy assumed defeat before the battle even began.
For the first time in centuries, the Knoll Empire realized it was no longer the predator.
It was prey.
---
Whispers grew louder, spreading across the Milky Way.
Kai had not declared himself ruler, nor demanded loyalty, nor toppled the Emperor with force.
He had only appeared.
And already the Empire was burning.
---
Above the galaxy
Kai floated in the void, golden eyes half-lidded, watching rebellions bloom like sparks across the Milky Way.
Ema appeared beside him, her tone serene. "They crumble faster than expected."
Kai smirked. "Fear is a sharper blade than any sword. But I wonder…" His voice dropped, dangerous and amused. "…when will the Primordial Humans decide to act?"
He turned his gaze toward the galactic horizon, sensing the faint stirrings of something vast beyond mortal perception.
"The real game," he whispered, "is about to begin."
---
In the distant void, the Primordial Fortress—an immense construct dwarfing galaxies—floated in silent majesty. Its spires pierced the fabric of reality itself, radiating ancient pressure.
Inside, Monarchs and Sages gathered in deliberation.
"The Knoll Empire burns," a voice intoned. "The overseer's report cannot be ignored."
"Then it is decided?" another asked, tone sharp.
"The Enforcer must descend soon."
And so, while the Knoll Empire tore itself apart, a far greater storm prepared to descend.
---