"I have news on Solariis," Revilo says, raising his hand slightly, his tone shifting to a serious one.
"What information?" the Saintess asks, leaning forward with genuine interest.
"It seems Solariis got involved in this war because of a person called the Queen of Eclipse," Revilo states, his face solemn.
"The Queen of Eclipse?!" The King's hands begin to tremble visibly, and his face pales.
"She's back..." Helios grits his teeth, his knuckles turning white as he grips the table.
"Who is this Queen of Eclipse?" Grand Duke Nigel asks, furrowing his brow in confusion.
"A being on the level of a Sovereign. She only appeared before me three times, and she always lurked in the shadows," the King says, a haunted look in his eyes as he remembers her piercing red gaze fixed upon him.
"She sounds like a troublesome person," the Saintess comments, narrowing her eyes.
"What did the other kingdom's Saintess say about the war?" The King asks, turning his attention to the Saintess.
"We haven't met since five years ago," the Saintess replies calmly.
"That was one year before the war started. Maybe they knew everything beforehand," Sara suggests, her voice sharp with suspicion.
"That might very well be true," Nigel admits, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
The King signals to one of the guards holding a large map. The guard steps forward and spreads the document across the round table, revealing a layout of five continents.
"As we all know, our kingdom is situated right in the middle of the four enemy kingdoms. Therefore, we need to create countermeasures for any type of attack," the King says, gesturing to the map while looking at the faces around the table.
"Maybe we should start with Lunaris since it is the only kingdom without harsh weather conditions," Nigel says, tapping the section of the map representing that continent.
"What is wrong with the weather on each continent?" Helios asks, tilting his head, his curiosity piqued.
"How exactly did he become the Commander of the armies again?" Revilo mutters under his breath, looking at Helios with an expression of disbelief.
"Good question. The answer is: because I said so," the King replies, his voice firm and leaving no room for argument.
"Solariis is a scorching continent made up mostly of deserts. Thalassos is the coldest continent, with snow falling almost year-round. And Vesperia is known for its vast swamps because it rains constantly," Sara explains patiently to Helios.
"So Lunaris is the only place we can attack right now," Helios concludes. "But won't they figure that out as well?" he adds, his expression turning wary.
"Maybe. But it is likely they are still fighting amongst themselves over who will take the leadership role," the King says, a cunning smirk appearing on his face.
"Why are all the continents named after the kingdoms that rule them?" Helios asks again, and the room falls silent as everyone turns to look at him.
"Do you want the simple answer or a full, complicated history lesson?" Revilo asks, leaning back in his chair with a tired sigh.
"The simple one," Helios answers bluntly.
"They were the first principalities to rise up, conquered the other smaller nations on their respective continents, and named the landmass after their own kingdom to show their dominance and power," Revilo explains quickly.
"That is enough for this meeting," the King announces, signalling an end to the discussion.
"We haven't said the most important thing yet," Helios says, his voice dropping to a slightly menacing tone. The room goes quiet, and all eyes shift to him.
"Is he going to ask the King about Luna?" Sara wonders, holding her breath.
"Where is my sister?" Helios demands, his eyes beginning to glow with intensity.
"You don't need to know that. Just know that she is safe," the King replies, looking away.
The scene shifts to a dark, shadowy room where five figures are seated around a table.
"Do you think Aethelgard has already started planning who to attack first?" asks one figure. He is wearing a traditional Longpao crafted from deep blue silk. The fabric is embroidered with golden threads forming intricate dragon and cloud patterns. The robe features a high collar and wide sleeves that brush against the table.
"I think so... and he is going to target you first, King of Lunaris," says another figure. This man wears an elaborate golden crown that reaches his shoulders, topped with a sculpted snake. He is dressed in flowing white silk trousers.
"You are going to help me, right, King of Solariis?" the King of Lunaris asks, looking nervously at the figure beside him.
"Help yourself. I haven't even asked for compensation for the countless times you have attacked my kingdom," the King of Solariis scoffs, looking away dismissively.
"You two talk too much," says a third figure, wearing a heavy hat made of thick fur and clothes lined for freezing temperatures.
"This is a meeting, after all. We are supposed to communicate," one king retorts, sitting opposite them. "Honestly, how have you not fainted from the heat yet, King of Thalassos?" he adds, looking pointedly at the heavy fur garments worn by the King of Thalassos.
"Shut up, you cold-blooded reptile!" the King of Thalassos snaps.
"Just because my kingdom's name is Vesperia doesn't mean I am a snake!" the King of Vesperia protests, looking offended.
Soon, all four kings begin shouting at one another, the room filling with noise.
"My Queen, should we stop them?" Cairo asks. He stands behind the shadows, his blue eyes glowing faintly beneath the hood of his robe.
"Maybe we should just kill them and replace them with my puppets," Lynn suggests, her voice cold. She pulls her hood further down, covering her face completely.
"No, I will stop them myself," a voice echoes.
Suddenly, thick black tentacles shoot out from the darkness, wrapping tightly around the kings and lifting them into the air above the square table.
"I did not call you all here just to listen to you fight like children," the Queen of Eclipse declares, her red eyes glowing menacingly from the shadows.
"You here, my Queen..." The King of Lunaris chokes out, struggling desperately against the tentacle squeezing his neck and crushing his body.
"We might actually die if you keep squeezing us like that!" the King of Thalassos gasps.
With a wave of her hand, the Queen releases her grip, letting the kings fall heavily onto the floor.
"Now that we are all quiet, we can finally begin the meeting," the Queen says, her tone shifting to a disturbingly childish sing-song voice. "Have you all brought them?" she asks, her red eyes scanning the dimly lit room.
"I brought my Saintess," the King of Lunaris says, struggling to catch his breath as he stands up.
"Why can't I see them? Surely my eyesight hasn't gotten that bad," the Queen says.
Four women step out from the shadows and stand behind the kings.
"Ah, now I can see them... though I still don't want to talk to you," the Queen mutters dismissively.
"Our Demi-God says he cannot be summoned today," the Saintess of Solariis announces. She wears a veil covering her mouth and nose, and her black silk outfit is adorned with heavy gold jewellery.
In an instant, one of the Queen's black tentacles shoots out, aiming to smash the Saintess's head. However, the Saintess raises her hand, catching the dark appendage effortlessly. Her eyes begin to turn pitch black, and a deep, sinister voice speaks from her mouth.
"You and your brother are exactly the same... always resorting to violence against us," the voice booms.
"So, you are alive... Solvaris, Demi-God of the Sun," the Queen says, her expression unchanging as she looks at the Saintess.
"What about you guys? Veylith, Demi-God of Illusion. Malzareth, Demi-God of Corruption. And Umbryx, Demi-God of Darkness," the Queen calls out.
Suddenly, the Saintess of Lunaris becames Umbryx, the Saintess of Vesperia becames Veylith, and the Saintess of Thalassos becames Malzareth.
"Can you let us live in peace? We don't want to restart the era of the Sun and Moon," Veylith pleads, his voice echoing.
"Has anyone seen that guy from the Fallen Realm lately?" Umbryx asks, looking around.
"Are you talking about Nyxarion? I haven't seen him since God sealed him away," Malzareth says, his voice trembling slightly.
"What did he do that was so terrible that God had to seal him away?" the Queen asks, curiosity rising in her tone.
"We can't tell you," Malzareth says, shaking his head.
"What do you mean you can't? Am I not worthy to know?" the Queen asks, her voice turning sharp and dangerous.
"Of course you are... but we are strictly forbidden from revealing anything that happened in the Veiled World," Malzareth explains nervously.