Brevis Main Hive, Upper City Core District.
St. Garus Castle towered high over this noble territory, a monument to ancient authority. Deep within the heart of the main fortress, in the "Hall of the High King," a scene of violent defiance was unfolding.
"Boom!!!"
The exquisite, heavy alloy doors bulged inward, their hinges screeching under immense strain.
"Lord Leo! The Supreme King has ordered that you cannot enter now!" a servant outside the door pleaded, his voice trembling with terror.
"He has no right to tell me what to do!"
The young, furious voice was unmistakable even amidst the panicked cacophony of the gathered crowd.
"Bang!!!"
The second kick was even more devastating. The alloy door, weighing over a ton, was violently blasted open. It slammed against the stone wall with a thunderous crack that echoed throughout the vast hall.
A handsome young man with long blond hair barged into the room.
Leo Saint Garus.
The youngest general in the Brevis Planetary Defense Force (PDF), and a well-known "outlier" among the younger generation of the noble Saint Garus family. He wore a grey PDF officer's uniform; a roaring bear-head badge was pinned to his left breast, and a gold eagle epaulette gleamed on his right shoulder. His face was grim, his green eyes burning with a righteous rage that punctuated every heavy footfall on the stone floor.
The moment he burst in, the six attendants flanking the steps of the supreme throne looked as though they had seen something more terrifying than an alien invasion. Pale with fear, they fled the hall with their heads bowed, scurrying like rats.
Outside the threshold, more servants and guards frantically tried to force the deformed doors shut again. An elderly servant, his face ashen, pulled a las-musket from his robes and fired into the seam of the door. The crimson beam fused the metal instantly, welding the door to its frame.
They all knew that the conversation in this hall was about to turn treasonous. The previous batch of servants who had "accidentally" overheard such words had already died in excruciating pain. The only way to survive was to ensure they didn't hear a single syllable.
Inside the hall, silence fell, leaving only Leo and the figure on the throne. Slowly, the supreme throne turned away from the wall to face the intruder.
Seated there was the current head of the Saint Garus family and the nominal supreme leader of the Brevis Noble Council: High King Caladogon Saint Garus.
He was gaunt to the point of emaciation, appearing fragile even wrapped in his black velvet robes embroidered with gold lace. His exposed hands were dry and withered, the sallow skin mapped with age spots and deep wrinkles. A heavy breathing mask covered his face, with transparent tubes snaking from beneath the plastic to his back. More tubes extended from the hem of his robes to the base of the throne, where a pale blue nutrient fluid flowed rhythmically to sustain his failing life.
Yet, his physical decay was betrayed by his eyes. Emerald-green eyes, set deep in his gaunt face, held a perpetual, icy storm. Despite his frailty, his gaze remained sharp and imposing, seemingly able to pierce through appearances to see the hidden essence of a man.
At this moment, those eyes were fixed calmly on Leo. It was a look that would make the most powerful figures on Brevis tremble, but it had no effect on the young general.
"Old man!" Leo barked, stripping away all formal respect. "The Longswordsmen outside are nearly all dead! They stood their ground to save us, and you just have the nerve to sit here and watch?"
"Not a single soldier sent, not a single crate of supplies provided—have you lost your conscience?!" His voice thundered, dripping with undisguised contempt.
Behind the mask, Caladogon's lips twitched. The calm in his green eyes shattered, replaced by a simmering embers of anger. His withered fingers gripped the armrest of the throne so hard his knuckles protruded. No one in the history of Brevis had ever dared speak to him this way.
"Leo," Caladogon began, his voice hoarse and metallic through the vox-grille, yet carrying undeniable authority. "Who gave you the right to speak to me like that?"
He did not shout, but the aura of a man who had held absolute power for decades was unmistakable.
Leo did not flinch. "Do I need permission to speak the truth? Look at the battle reports from the Frost Forbidden Wall! The Brontë Longswordsmen have been decimated in a single month! They are out of ammunition, out of men, out of hope!"
"And what about you? The warehouses in the Upper City are overflowing with hoardings! The factories in the Middle Hive haven't stopped production for a second! The nobles' private armies are sunbathing behind the Manhe River while the world burns—what the hell is that?!"
It had been years since Caladogon had felt such fury. "Everything I do is for the family... for the survival of Brevis. Some sacrifices are necessary. You are too young to understand the burden of command."
"Here we go again!" Leo spat, his expression mocking. "For the family? For Brevis? Don't lie to me. It's all to protect your throne and preserve the status of you old fogies!"
The words cut like knives, leaving Caladogon speechless for several seconds. The hum of his life-support device grew more rapid, and the flow of the blue fluid in his tubes increased. He was far more agitated than he appeared.
"That is enough," the High King finally uttered. "How to allocate resources during a crisis is a matter for the Council and myself to consider. Your responsibility is to manage the PDF and maintain order in the Hive!"
"If you won't help, then don't! But stop with the sanctimonious nonsense!" Seeing that the old man was unmoved, Leo realized further talk was futile. He punched a nearby decorative pillar in frustration, then turned and marched away.
He reached the welded gates and raised a heavy military boot.
"Bang!!!"
With another violent crash, the gate that had just been fused shut was blasted off its hinges. The servants and guards outside scrambled out of the way as Leo stormed out like a caged lion finally set free.
"Leo!" Caladogon called out from the throne, his voice rising in desperation. "Where are you going?!"
Leo didn't look back. His long golden hair caught the light and his cape snapped in his wake. "None of your business! If the Crown won't save them, I'll do it myself!"
As the sound of his footsteps faded into the distance, the Hall of the High King returned to a deathly silence, broken only by the rhythmic wheezing of the life-support system. The frail figure on the throne seemed to age a decade in an instant.
The throne slowly turned back to face the mural of his ancestors battling great beasts. As the young man's image faded from his sight, Caladogon's vision blurred, seeing the ghost of another tall, resolute man with equally brilliant blond hair.
A silent sigh echoed in the empty room. Caladogon could not let anyone see his emotions. After a long moment, he pressed a hidden stud on the armrest.
An encrypted channel clicked open. "Send a 'Paladin' to follow Leo," the High King whispered. "Make sure he does not die."
The servants outside were dumbfounded. Despite their best efforts, they had heard the final exchange. Just as they were wondering how to die with dignity for overhearing the High King's secrets, Leo returned to the corridor.
"I am leading a relief force to the Frost Forbidden Wall immediately," Leo announced to the guards. "Anyone who isn't afraid to die for something real can come with me!"
There was a moment of stunned silence.
"I am willing to follow Lord Leo!" a young guard cried out, dropping to one knee in excitement. "I'd rather die for Brevis on the wall than rot in this castle!"
"I will follow you, sir!"
"Count me in!"
With tears of resolve in their eyes, the guards and even a few servants stepped forward, choosing to follow the lion-hearted young general into the cold.