Chapter 207
In the heart of La Corona, in her opulent mansion adorned with black marble and silver accents, La Reina sat with her advisors in her private chamber. The room was vast and dimly lit, with tapestries depicting scenes of control and order draped along the walls. The faint hum of cosmic energy vibrated through the air, growing stronger by the day, like a silent promise of power just within reach.
La Reina gazed out the arched window, her brows knitted in contemplation. "Have you noticed it too?" she asked, her voice a mixture of curiosity and frustration. "The minds of the people—they're... resistant."
One of her closest advisors, a tall man with a sharp jaw and piercing eyes named Calder, nodded. "Yes, my Queen. The shifts are subtle, but unmistakable. Some even seem to rally under their own will." He paused, his voice lowering, "It's as though they are slipping from your grasp."
She turned to him, her eyes narrowing. "And what do you think is causing it, Calder?"
He hesitated. "Perhaps it is the cosmic energy itself, Your Majesty. You have felt it, haven't you? Your strength has only grown since its flow stabilized. Maybe it's enhancing ordinary people as well, giving them... faint resilience."
La Reina leaned back, processing this suggestion. It was true—the cosmic energy around her had intensified over the months, filling her with a vitality that she hadn't felt in years. Her senses were sharper, her physical strength doubled, and her ability to sway minds had deepened. But if that energy was seeping into the masses, granting them even a shred of resistance, it would disrupt the carefully crafted order she'd enforced.
"Then they are gaining this strength from something beyond themselves," she murmured, eyes darkening. "It's infuriating. For so long, I've controlled their minds effortlessly. And now, they begin to pull away."
Another advisor stepped forward, a woman named Marisol with a talent for tracing cosmic flows. "We have conducted readings, Your Majesty. The cosmic energy increase appears to be indiscriminate. It affects the strong and the weak alike. Perhaps it is simply awakening something dormant within them. Yet, none are as fortified as you, My Queen."
La Reina's gaze sharpened, her mind racing through the implications. "Then I am still the strongest here," she said with a steely edge. "I control the cosmic energy—I could use it to fortify my reach."
"Indeed," Calder replied, a calculated glint in his eyes. "If their minds are slightly stronger, then our strength must simply be greater."
La Reina stood, her dark gown trailing as she paced, her hands clasped behind her back. "This newfound spark in the people—it's a temporary nuisance. Let them have their whispers and small fires. My strength alone could extinguish any blaze they try to spark." She stopped, turning to face her advisors. "But we must be vigilant. If they begin to feel too confident, we will need to take measures to remind them of their place."
Marisol bowed. "What measures would you suggest, My Queen?"
La Reina smiled, a cold expression that sent a shiver through the room. "Perhaps a few public displays of power will do. Find anyone particularly resistant to my control, especially among those with rising influence. Remind them of who rules this territory. If I must, I will amplify my tendrils and take a more active approach in holding them in place."
The advisors nodded in unison, murmuring in agreement. Yet Calder couldn't help but ask, "And if it continues to spread? If these minds strengthen further?"
La Reina laughed softly, a sound as smooth as velvet but with an underlying sharpness. "Then I will adapt, Calder. As the strongest mind controller documented, I have reserves of strength they can't imagine." She walked toward a large map displayed on the wall, tracing her fingers along the lines of her territory. "For now, let them bask in their illusions of freedom. It will only make their submission that much sweeter when I decide to reclaim what's mine."
Her advisors exchanged knowing glances, recognizing the weight of her words. She had ruled La Corona with an iron grip, bending minds and wills with the barest flicker of thought. If the cosmic energy indeed brought resistance, she would crush it, amplifying her own power to match. And as she planned her next steps, the faint hum of cosmic energy in the room pulsed in response, as if acknowledging its queen.
"Set up new surveillance across the major cities," she instructed. "I want every movement tracked, every sign of unrest reported. The people may believe they're free, but I'll show them how hollow that belief truly is."