REPORT TO MAJESTY

Location: Royal Capital – King's Private Council Chamber. Morning sun leaks through the tall glass windows. Guards stand outside, and the hall buzzes with quiet urgency.

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[SFX: Footsteps echo down a polished marble corridor. The heavy oak doors to the council room creak open.]

Two figures entered the royal chamber. One walked with the confident yet reserved gait of a knight—Arslan, face sharp with clarity, his dark cloak brushing the floor. Beside him, Kar'Thæl manifested slowly, his fiery aura dimmed to a respectful ember, horns shadowed under his spectral crown.

The heavy stone doors of the private chamber closed with a hushed thud. A rare stillness fell across the marble room. No guards inside. No servants waiting. Just four people—the King, Julius, Arslan, and the shadow-like presence of Kar'Thæl—gathered beneath the high, stained-glass dome of the inner sanctum.

Sunlight filtered through crimson and gold panes, casting fractured light across the council table. The silence was sharp, like a blade hovering in the air.

KING FARHAN (seated, voice low and firm):

"You've returned. I assume you have something to report?"

Arslan stepped forward and placed a leather-wrapped bundle gently on the table. He unwrapped it. Five jagged fire crystals glowed faintly, pulsing like dying hearts.

ARSLAN (quietly):

"We found these in the Demon Site near the Lake District. But it's not just what we found… it's what we didn't."

Julius leaned in, studying the flickering orange veins inside each shard. They weren't hot to the touch, yet their glow carried a sensation—like standing too close to a lightning storm.

JULIUS (uneasy):

"No enemies? No signs of life?"

ARSLAN:

"None. The site was completely empty. But the walls… they had ancient markings. Burned into the stone. Not written—etched with power. We explored for hours, deeper than any known layer… and found these crystals lodged into a formation that looked like a Gate. But the Gate wasn't active."

Kar'Thæl stepped beside Arslan, his eyes burning low under the shadow of his horned crown.

KAR'THAËL (tone grim):

"I've seen countless Gates. Vaults. Rifts. But not like this. This was no ordinary portal. It wasn't built to open… it was becoming something."

KING FARHAN (his brow furrowing):

"Explain."

KAR'THAËL (walking slowly around the table):

"The shape, the crystals, the symbols—they weren't calling something through. They were constructing a breach… one that doesn't need to open, because it exists from within. Like a curse growing under your skin."

JULIUS (stiffening):

"You're saying… it was a seed?"

KAR'THAËL (nodding slowly):

"Yes. A demonic site isn't just a location—it's a living mechanism. It matures. And when it does, it will no longer need to be opened. It becomes the demon."

A long silence followed.

KING FARHAN (slowly, gravely):

"So these sites… are themselves an enemy?"

ARSLAN:

"Possibly. We found no life inside… but everything inside was shaped with purpose. This wasn't an abandoned ruin. It was preparation."

JULIUS (clenching his jaw):

"Are all the other Sites like this?"

KAR'THAËL (calm but serious):

"I don't know. But this was only one. We must assume the worst until proven otherwise. These aren't natural phenomena. They're coordinated. Deliberate."

KING FARHAN (quietly):

"How many of these sites exist in Lumisgrave now?"

ARSLAN:

"Reports show sites near the farmlands, the lumberyard, the iron mine, and now the Lake District. All within days of each other."

JULIUS (shaking his head):

"This is unprecedented. We've faced one Vault of Sundusk before. But four active sites? With different energy sources?"

Kar'Thæl turned, his expression unreadable, voice low like wind before fire.

KAR'THAËL:

"I'll be honest with you. In all the worlds I've walked, no realm has shown this many demon-rooted breaches at once. Not even during the Ancient Collapse. This... is new. It defies every known pattern of invasion."

KING FARHAN (his tone darkening):

"Then it's worse than we thought."

KAR'THAËL (firmly):

"It's not just worse. It's evolving."

King Farhan stood up from his chair, pacing a short line behind the table. He looked toward the stained glass—the light now shifted more red than gold.

KING FARHAN (with weight in his voice):

"Can we destroy the Site?"

KAR'THAËL (glancing at Arslan):

"Maybe. But if we destroy it, we lose the chance to understand it. These crystals," (he gestures to the shards) "are the key to something far deeper. Their placement was intentional."

ARSLAN (speaking after a pause):

"We believe the Site is dormant now. But we can't trust it to remain that way."

JULIUS (quietly):

"Then what do you propose?"

Kar'Thæl stopped walking. His voice now was cold, clear, and deliberate.

KAR'THAËL:

"Tonight, I'll return to one of the other sites. I want to see if their design follows the same structure."

King Farhan's brow furrowed deeply.

KING FARHAN (sternly):

"You? You'll go again? Alone?"

KAR'THAËL:

"With Arslan. We'll take no one else."

JULIUS (still hesitant):

"And if it's a trap?"

KAR'THAËL (without blinking):

"Then we spring it before it can grow teeth."

A silence again.

Then, finally, King Farhan exhaled.

KING FARHAN (softly):

"Then go. But come back alive."

Kar'Thæl smirked slightly.

KAR'THAËL:

"That's the plan. And if not—well, you'll know because the sky will catch fire."

[SFX: Wind picks up softly against the windows.]

ARSLAN (quietly, bowing his head):

"We'll report again before dawn."

They both turned to leave. At the door, Kar'Thæl stopped briefly, looking back.

KAR'THAËL (softly):

"This isn't an expansion of war. It's the opening of something ancient. Something primal. Keep your armies close, Farhan. The deeper we go… the darker it gets."