Blackwell Castle
A few moments later, inside Blackwell Castle, the air suddenly twisted.
A violent ripple tore through the chamber.
Silas and Lucius appeared directly in front of Great Elder Paul.
Both men slammed onto the stone floor.
Silas caught himself with one hand, gasping desperately for air. A harsh cough ripped through his chest, and a small amount of blood splattered onto the floor beneath him.
Lucius was in far worse condition.
He collapsed onto one knee, clutching his chest.
Blood soaked through his clothing where the Queen had wounded him.
The injury wasn't healing.
That alone was terrifying.
Blackwell blood carried extraordinary regenerative abilities, especially among elders as powerful as Lucius.
Yet the wound remained open.
Almost as if something was preventing his body from repairing itself.
Lucius coughed.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
Then his nose.
Great Elder Paul immediately rose from his chair.
"Lucius!"
Lucius lifted one trembling hand.
"We need to leave."
Paul stared at him.
"What happened?"
Lucius tried to stand, but his legs nearly gave out beneath him.
"We need to leave before they search this area."
He coughed again.
More blood struck the floor.
"Before that monster comes here."
Paul's expression hardened.
"Monster?"
His eyes moved between Silas and Lucius.
"What monster?"
Neither man answered immediately.
Paul stepped closer.
"What happened out there?"
Silas slowly raised his head.
For perhaps the first time in Paul's life, he saw something in Silas that he had never expected to see.
Fear.
"The Queen."
Paul froze.
His face went pale.
For several seconds, the chamber was completely silent.
"The… Queen?"
Silas didn't answer.
Paul stared at him in disbelief.
"Didn't you kill her?"
His voice rose.
"Didn't we all witness her death?"
Silas's jaw tightened.
Paul stepped closer.
"Then how is she alive?"
"We don't have time to discuss this!"
Silas's voice thundered through the chamber.
But beneath his anger was panic.
Real panic.
"We need to leave before she comes back."
Paul stared at him.
Silas was looking around the chamber.
At the doors.
At the windows.
At the shadows.
Almost as if he expected Aurelia to appear at any second.
Because he remembered that smile.
Those black eyes.
And most of all—
The madness behind them.
For a brief moment at the border, Silas had seen everything Aurelia had buried for all those years.
Her rage.
Her hatred.
Her pain.
And it was directed at them.
At him.
Silas knew Aurelia hadn't forgotten what they had done.
She hadn't forgiven them.
And something deep inside him told him that she wasn't finished.
"She's coming for us," Silas said quietly.
Paul's expression changed.
Silas looked directly at him.
"Get the portal ready."
Paul remained silent.
"The entire clan leaves tonight."
"What?"
"We abandon the castle."
Paul's eyes widened.
Silas stepped toward him.
"We're going to the Blackwell Sanctuary."
That was enough.
Paul immediately turned toward the door.
"I'll prepare everyone."
"Do it now."
Paul nodded.
He rushed from the chamber.
For once, Great Elder Paul didn't question Silas.
Because whatever had happened outside Blackwell Territory had sent two of their most powerful members crawling back home covered in blood.
And one of them was terrified.
That was enough for him.
⸻
Evacuation of Blackwell Castle
Great Elder Paul moved quickly through the corridor toward his chamber.
As he walked, he opened the Blackwell mind-link.
His voice exploded through the minds of every Elder and Great Elder inside the castle.
We've been compromised.
Responses immediately flooded back.
What happened?
Compromised by whom?
Is the territory under attack?
Where are Silas and Lucius?
Paul didn't slow down.
Silas and Lucius have returned from the battlefield badly injured. I will explain everything once we reach the Sanctuary. Gather your subordinates. Take only what is necessary. We're abandoning Blackwell Castle.
Silence.
Then—
Chaos.
Doors opened throughout the massive castle.
Servants rushed through corridors.
Guards abandoned their posts.
Elders ordered their personal subordinates to collect documents, artifacts, weapons, magical objects, and anything too valuable to leave behind.
Some demanded answers.
Others didn't bother asking.
If Silas himself had ordered an evacuation, something catastrophic had happened.
One by one, the Blackwell elders and their forces entered the portal chamber.
The ancient portal began glowing.
Dark energy spiraled across its surface.
One group disappeared.
Then another.
Then another.
The Blackwell clan was evacuating.
Their destination was a place almost no outsider knew existed.
A sanctuary prepared generations ago for the possibility that Blackwell Territory might someday fall.
A place meant to hide them.
A place meant to protect the continuation of the Blackwell name.
And tonight—
For the first time in generations—
They needed it.
⸻
Borderline Safe Zone
Meanwhile, Sergeant Bill stood before the Red Team.
The rest of the platoon sergeants and commanding officers gathered around him.
The Red Team immediately noticed someone was missing.
Rose.
Sergeant Bill looked across the group.
"I know all of you want to know where your team leader is."
Irish immediately looked toward Selene.
Benny folded his arms.
James remained silent.
Ryder's expression hardened.
Sergeant Bill continued.
"Rose has been assigned another mission."
Irish stepped forward.
"Without us?"
"Yes."
The answer was immediate.
"Her mission is classified."
The team exchanged glances.
They didn't like it.
Especially after everything that had happened.
They wanted to be with Rose.
They wanted to know she was safe.
Sergeant Bill understood that.
But orders were orders.
"You have your own mission."
He looked directly at Ryder.
"Ryder Hawthorne."
Ryder straightened.
"You'll be acting commander of the Red Team until Rose returns."
Ryder nodded.
"Understood."
Sergeant Bill turned toward everyone else.
"You'll be working alongside the other color teams and platoon cadets. I suggest you get acquainted with them quickly."
A map of Blackwell Territory was opened in front of them.
Their target was clear.
Blackwell Castle.
"We don't know what we're walking into," Sergeant Bill continued. "The Blackwells may still be there. They may have defensive forces waiting for us. Or they may have already abandoned the territory."
James studied the map.
"After what happened at the border, they might've run."
Sergeant Bill nodded.
"Possible."
Benny crossed his arms.
"Especially after that dragon showed up."
A few soldiers exchanged uneasy looks.
None of them had forgotten the enormous creature appearing over the battlefield.
Sergeant Bill pointed toward the castle.
"We don't assume anything."
His voice became firm.
"Tomorrow, we raid Blackwell Castle."
Everyone became silent.
"Our objective is to secure the territory, search the castle, capture anyone who surrenders, and neutralize any hostile force that attacks us."
His eyes moved across every soldier.
"No one goes in alone."
He looked directly at the Red Team.
"And no one plays hero."
Irish quietly whispered,
"Rose would've hated that rule."
Benny almost smiled.
"Rose would've broken it first."
Even Selene gave a small laugh.
For just a moment, the tension eased.
Then Sergeant Bill tapped the castle on the map.
"Study the layout."
The room became serious again.
"Because once we enter that castle, we don't know what we're going to find."
None of them realized how true those words would become.
⸻
Military Base — Conference Room
A massive screen covered the wall.
Several faces appeared across it.
Territorial elders.
Representatives from different supernatural regions.
Military commanders.
Council officials.
And in the center—
Archduke Vermont Williams.
Rose stopped.
Marina took her position at the table.
"Sit."
Rose quietly sat beside her, the small dragon resting comfortably in her arms.
The room settled.
Vermont's expression was grave.
"The situation has changed."
A map of the Sea Kingdom appeared across the screen.
Vermont continued.
"King Nerion has decided to break the treaty because of what happened with Princess Sophia."
The atmosphere inside the conference room immediately became tense.
One of the elders leaned forward.
"The treaty was established to prevent exactly this. If King Nerion chooses to violate it because of his daughter, the other territories cannot simply ignore his actions."
Another representative spoke.
"And Princess Sophia must still answer for the sins she committed. Being the daughter of the king does not place her above judgment."
Rose remained silent, listening carefully.
Vermont's expression hardened.
"Exactly. Sophia will be arrested and brought before the proper authority to answer for what she has done."
The map changed.
Several locations throughout the Sea Kingdom were highlighted.
Vermont continued.
"But Sophia is no longer our only concern."
Rose looked toward Marina.
Marina's expression remained unreadable.
Vermont leaned forward.
"King Nerion's actions have crossed another line."
His voice hardened.
"This is no longer simply about a king attempting to protect his daughter."
The room became completely silent.
"This has become a purge."
Rose's eyes narrowed.
Vermont continued.
"My men are already in position throughout the Sea Kingdom."
One of the elders immediately responded.
"You're preparing to remove King Nerion from the throne?"
"I am preparing to stop him."
Another representative leaned forward.
"And if removing him becomes necessary?"
Vermont didn't answer immediately.
His eyes moved across the representatives on the screen.
Then he spoke.
"If King Nerion continues down this path, then he will be removed from the throne."
Murmurs spread throughout the conference.
Rose looked at Marina.
"Why am I here?"
Marina finally turned toward her.
"Because this doesn't end with King Nerion."
Rose's expression changed.
Marina continued.
"Sophia still has to be arrested. The Sea Kingdom is unstable. And if Nerion refuses to surrender his authority peacefully, we need to be prepared for what happens afterward."
Rose slowly looked back toward Vermont.
The Archduke was already preparing his forces.
King Nerion's throne was beginning to crumble.
Princess Sophia was now facing arrest for the sins she had committed.
And the Sea Kingdom itself was moving dangerously close to internal conflict.
Rose tightened her hold around the small dragon.
The battle she had just left behind was over.
But her next mission was already waiting for her.
The Sea Kingdom.
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