MEMELAND

Rain hammered against the palace windows.

Kai had spent half the night staring at the torn piece of paper.

Akshay.

Removal.

Ceremony.

Three words.

That was all.

Yet they refused to leave his mind.

He turned the fragment over again.

Nothing.

No signatures.

No symbols.

No clues.

Just three words.

Three very dangerous words.

A knock came from the door.

Before Kai could answer, Andre walked inside carrying a loaf of bread.

"Why do rich people always have free food?"

Kai looked up.

"Do you ever stop eating?"

"No."

Andre tore off a piece.

"What's got you looking depressed?"

Kai hesitated.

Then showed him the paper.

Andre squinted.

His reading ability appeared to be fighting for its life.

"What does that say?"

Kai pointed.

"Akshay."

"That's Akshay?"

"The word right here."

"Oh."

Andre stared at it again.

"Looks bad."

"That's what worries me."

Andre surprisingly became serious.

For nearly ten seconds.

A personal record.

"If they're planning something against the king, why haven't they done it already?"

Kai frowned.

That was actually a good question.

The paper didn't say assassination.

It didn't say attack.

It said removal.

A strange choice of wording.

Before either could continue, palace bells rang throughout the city.

Both men immediately stood.

The bells rang again.

And again.

Not an alarm.

A summons.

Something official.

"Council meeting," Andre guessed.

"You know what that means?"

"No."

"Then how did you know?"

"I guessed."

Unfortunately, he was right.

A servant soon arrived and informed them that Akshay had called an emergency assembly.

By the time they reached the throne hall, dozens of officials had already gathered.

Military officers.

Nobles.

City representatives.

Merchants.

The room buzzed with nervous conversation.

Something had happened.

Kai immediately spotted Akshay near the throne.

The king looked exhausted.

More than usual.

Beside him stood Commander Jack.

As composed as ever.

Akshay raised a hand.

The room fell silent.

"We received reports this morning."

His voice echoed throughout the chamber.

"Three villages outside Yggdrasil were attacked during the night."

Murmurs spread immediately.

Akshay continued.

"Casualties remain unknown."

The room became even louder.

Three villages.

Not one.

Three.

That wasn't a random attack.

That was coordinated.

Jack stepped forward.

"My soldiers are already investigating."

Several council members visibly relaxed.

Kai noticed.

People trusted Jack.

Perhaps more than they trusted the king.

A noble stood.

"How close were the attacks?"

"Less than a day's travel."

Akshay answered.

The room erupted again.

Fear spread quickly.

Villages that close meant danger was approaching Yggdrasil itself.

Then another council member rose.

An older man.

One Kai hadn't seen before.

"Your Majesty."

Akshay nodded.

The man folded his arms.

"With respect, the attacks continue to worsen."

The atmosphere changed instantly.

Everyone knew where this was going.

The man continued.

"Citizens are frightened."

"Trade is slowing."

"Our outer settlements are suffering."

Nobody interrupted.

Because nobody disagreed.

"The city requires decisive action."

Akshay's jaw tightened.

"What exactly are you suggesting?"

The councilman glanced toward Jack.

Only briefly.

But Kai noticed.

"So did Akshay."

"I suggest placing greater authority in the hands of military leadership until this crisis passes."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Kai felt it immediately.

This wasn't about villages.

This wasn't about demons.

This was political.

The man was proposing that some of the king's authority be transferred elsewhere.

Temporarily.

At least officially.

Akshay slowly stood.

The room somehow became even quieter.

"I appreciate your concern."

The king's voice remained calm.

Controlled.

"But Yggdrasil still has a king."

The councilman sat down.

The discussion moved on.

Yet the damage had already been done.

The idea had been spoken aloud.

And once an idea enters a room, it never truly leaves.

After the meeting ended, people slowly departed.

Kai watched groups form.

Small conversations.

Whispers.

Speculation.

And more than once he noticed people approaching Jack.

Not Akshay.

Jack.

The commander handled each conversation professionally.

Respectfully.

Exactly as expected.

Yet Kai couldn't shake the feeling that the balance of power inside Yggdrasil was changing.

Slowly.

Almost invisibly.

But changing nonetheless.

Later that evening, Kai finally found Akshay alone.

The king stood on a balcony overlooking the city.

The same balcony where they'd spoken days earlier.

"Rough meeting."

Akshay laughed.

A short bitter laugh.

"You could say that."

Kai stepped beside him.

For a while neither spoke.

The city stretched below them.

Lights flickering through rain and mist.

Finally Kai removed the paper fragment from his pocket.

"I found this."

Akshay took it.

Read it once.

Then again.

His expression darkened.

"Where did you get this?"

"The cult meeting."

The king stared at the words.

Longer than Kai expected.

When he finally spoke, his voice sounded quieter.

More serious.

"Don't show this to anyone else."

Kai blinked.

"Why?"

Akshay folded the paper.

"Because if I'm right..."

He looked out toward the city.

"...then somebody is preparing a legal way to remove me."

For the first time, Kai understood the true danger.

A king murdered becomes a martyr.

A king removed by law becomes a criminal.

And one of those outcomes was far more useful to a conspiracy.

Far below the palace, hidden somewhere within Yggdrasil's underground, a sealed letter changed hands.

Inside were only four words.

Phase One complete.

And attached to it was a familiar symbol.

A black circle surrounded by jagged cracks.