Chapter 34
The sacred sanctuary where the goddess Elyssira resided remained still in its haunting tranquility as Lucien’s form dissolved into golden light, drawn away by the threads of awakening. For a heartbeat, there was silence. Then the world around the divine garden shuddered.
The earth beneath the ethereal gazebo cracked with a low, throbbing quake, as if the very roots of the dimension groaned under a pain too ancient to name. Trees quivered. The sky overhead dimmed slightly, not from clouds, but from a quiet sorrow that blanketed the heavens. The wind trembled through the trees like the whisper of a dying prayer.
And yet, the goddess Elyssira did not flinch. Her eyes remained half-lidded, staring into the space where Lucien had vanished. The little girl beside her, still holding her snack with tiny fingers, gazed upward with wide but calm eyes. They were unmoved by the trembling cosmos, as though they had long grown familiar with divine quakes and cosmic mourning.
"So it begins," Elyssira whispered into the silence, her voice carried by the wind like a mourning hymn. "I must send immediate message to my followers."
—
Across the continent of Aerithrall, at the heart of the sprawling Valderian Empire, the tremors had not gone unnoticed. Deep within the marble halls of the Imperial Citadel, a gathering of immense consequence was underway.
Inside the Emperor’s Strategic Hall—grand, gilded, and encased with glass runes glowing in teal—a table shaped like a dragon’s spine stretched across the room. Scrolls, floating diagrams, and glowing maps flickered above it in layers. Magical technology crackled faintly.
Emperor Aurelian Valentino Aurum Vale, clad in a navy military coat etched in gold, sat at the head of the table. His silver-streaked golden hair was tied back, his gaze piercing as he overlooked reports. Across from him stood Sir Rutherford, his most loyal butler and advisor, with a refined bearing and a voice like velvet over steel.
"Regarding the redistribution of arcanium shipments to the southeastern border, Your Majesty," Rutherford began, his gloved hands hovering to manipulate the floating charts, "I suggest we delay the export by two cycles. The mining division of Argenfrost Citadel is still recovering from last month’s surge."
The Emperor stroked his chin, eyes narrowing. "And the research division in the Imperial House of Magical Engineering? Are they on schedule with the weapon integration models?"
Rutherford gave a polite bow. "As of this morning, yes. Though... they requested an increase in Soulfire Crystals by twelve percent. They claim it’s vital for stabilizing the experimental runes."