Elias reached his room after the tense meeting with Emperor Alaric, feeling both exhausted and relieved to have escaped the emperor's intense gaze. He longed to collapse onto his bed and let his mind rest for a few hours.
But even as he stepped inside and locked the door behind him, the uneasy feeling lingering in the back of his mind wouldn't go away.
Something was wrong.
The system's familiar voice chimed in his head.
[System Notification: Multiple individuals approaching your location. Estimated time of arrival: 30 seconds.]
Elias's shoulders tensed, and he quickly scanned the room. He wasn't expecting visitors — not at this hour, and certainly not so many people at once. His instincts screamed that this wasn't a friendly visit.
Straightening his back and adopting a calm, composed expression, Elias turned to face the door just as the heavy footsteps reached his threshold.