The cheers of the crowd still echoed in Maria's ears long after she returned to the obsidian throne hall. Outside, the plaza sang her name; inside, only silence and the faint rustle of armored guards filled the air.
Maria sank into her throne, her expression calm and unreadable. She let her hand rest on the armrest, fingertips tapping the engraved dragon sigil.
The heavy doors creaked open. General Cedric Drael entered, kneeling before her with his usual formality. Behind him stood Lady Elira Kaelis, the court mage, her robes heavy with arcane symbols. Both wore grim expressions.
Maria (quietly):
"Speak."
Cedric's voice was low, steady—but the weight of his words was sharp enough to pierce steel.
Cedric:
"It is confirmed, Your Majesty. The western kingdom of Aldebrand has performed a summoning. Four… no, perhaps five outsiders have been brought into this world. They call them 'heroes.'"
Maria's fingers stilled. Her crimson eyes flickered with something between rage and sorrow.
Elira (gently):
"They claim the heroes were called to defeat you, Empress. Already, the other kingdoms whisper that this is a holy crusade… that the gods themselves have chosen your destroyers."
Silence fell. The only sound was the crackle of torches along the hall's walls.
Maria rose slowly from her throne. She looked up, past the banners of Drakenveil, past the vaulted ceiling, as though her gaze pierced the sky itself.
Maria (to herself):
"The gods… or the lies of men who wear their names."
Her voice grew stronger, ringing through the hall.
Maria (to her generals):
"So be it. If they send heroes, then I will show them what kind of monster they truly face. If I must be the villain in their story, then I shall play the part—until their 'heroes' learn the truth with their own blood."
Cedric bowed, his voice grim but proud.
Cedric:
"Drakenveil stands with you, Empress. Let them come."
Elira, however, watched Maria with quiet worry. For she knew that behind those blazing eyes, the Empress was not the monster the world painted her to be… but a woman fighting desperately not to become one.
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Ending Beat of Chapter 1
Outside the empire's walls, the newly summoned heroes awaken in a grand foreign palace, celebrated as saviors destined to slay the Witch-Empress. Their story begins in light.
Maria's story begins in shadow.