The High Council chamber was a theater of gold and cold, obsidian stone, but the air within was so thick with power it felt like walking through deep water. At the head of the table sat King Valerius III.
At Level 19, Valerius didn't just rule; he dominated the local laws of physics. The shadows in the corners of the room didn't move because of the light—they moved because he allowed them to. He sat perfectly still, his eyes like two dying stars, watching as Grand Commander Kaelen knelt before him.
"Commander," the King rumbled. The sound didn't come from his throat; it felt like it originated from the bedrock of the planet. "Explain to me why the southern forest is being walled off like a common plague ward. You are the 'Sword of the Church.' Since when does a sword fear a few shadows?"
The bickering of the Arch-Mages and Ministers—men who were Level 9 and 10 themselves—fell into a terrified silence.
Kaelen's forehead was pressed against the cold marble. The pressure from the King's presence was so immense that Kaelen's silver armor was literally beginning to warp, the plates groaning under the invisible force of Valerius's aura. At Level 14, Kaelen could solo an army, but here, he was a child in the presence of a hurricane.
"Sire," Kaelen's voice was strained, thick with the lie he was forced to tell. "The rift is... parasitic. It feeds on holy mana. To strike it with the Light would only fuel its expansion. I have seen the High Priestess's state... she was nearly consumed. The forest must be quarantined. I will guard the border myself to ensure no one—and nothing—crosses."
"Is that so?" A sneer came from the side of the table. It was Minister Harken, a man known for his greed. "Or is it that the Commander has finally found a foe he cannot cut? Perhaps the 'Holy Marriage' has made you soft, Kaelen. Maybe we should send the Inquisitors to verify this 'Void'."
"And send more men to their deaths?" Kaelen stepped forward, his Level 10 aura flaring just enough to silence the room. "The Rift is hungry. If you feed it more mana, it will expand. I have established a holy perimeter. I will oversee it personally. Any entry without my express permission is a death sentence for the Kingdom."
"Enough!" Valerius's word hit the room like a physical hammer. A crack appeared in the obsidian table, spider-webbing out from his hand.
"The Commander is the only one who has faced the Abyss and returned," Valerius said, his gaze narrowing on Kaelen. "If he says the forest is a graveyard, then it is a graveyard. But hear me, Kaelen... if this 'Void' breathes one inch past those walls, I will personally descend and erase that province—and you with it."
Kaelen didn't look up. He couldn't. He was paralyzed by the realization that he was now lying to a man who could unmake him with a thought, all to protect the monster who had claimed his wife.