The once-fractured houses of nobility—men and women who wouldn't even breathe the same air without sneering at one another—sat at the same table now. Opulence and arrogance once defined their palaces; today, fear stitched them together like rats huddled in a sinking ship.
They had seen the red sky.
They had heard the screams of their elite guards.
They had witnessed the monster in human skin.
Kael.
"What he did at the outskirts..." one of the lords said, voice trembling behind his jeweled goblet. "He slaughtered hundreds like flies."
The room was silent. Even the flames in the chandelier seemed to flicker with unease.
"He's not just a threat to your land or mine," the Matron of the Eastern Peaks finally said, her sharp eyes dulled by dread. "He is a judgment. A reaper."
"He's not a man," another noble spat. "He's a divine executioner."
A long pause.
Then, for the first time in centuries, a noble of the Goldmane family, known for their arrogance and unmatched pride, bowed his head.
"We must unite."
Chairs scraped the floor. Dozens of rings tapped against the polished wood table as they raised their trembling hands in reluctant agreement.
The doors burst open—armed messengers and elite scouts stepped in. "He's moving again. He's heading toward the capital... And fast."
The room dropped several degrees.
The nobles exchanged looks. The word they all avoided now pulsed in the air like a silent drumbeat.
War.
Plans were drawn hastily. Assassins were dispatched. Summoners readied beasts bred for one purpose: destruction. Rogue mages once imprisoned for their power were promised freedom and riches for one thing—Kael's death.
They would flood the roads, poison the rivers, and twist the winds themselves if it meant slowing him down.
For the first time in their lives, the rich and powerful knew fear.
And fear made them dangerous.
"He wants to cleanse us?" growled Lord Veyron of the Steel Barricade. "Let him try. We are not sheep to be butchered. We are kings, queens, gods in human flesh!"
But no one agreed with him. Not really. Not after the reports. Not after seeing the footage.
Somewhere outside, the sky thundered.
Kael was coming.
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