Chapter 76: Tension.

Chapter 76: Tension. The sky stood cloudless, perfect, untouched. Almost... wrong. It was as if the heavens themselves refused to sully the day, knowing what brewed beneath. The conference chamber was bathed in the amber glow of morning light, which filtered through stained crystal glass, painting the marble floors with fragmented hues. Yet for all its beauty, there was nothing warm about the atmosphere inside. Tension rippled in the air. Pure discomforting tension. A long obsidian table stretched from one end of the chamber to the other, its polished surface reflecting the stoic faces gathered around it. Henndar sat at its head, his expression carved from stone. Beside him, standing in for her empire, Kesha. Regal, untouchable, chin held high. The girl was a mirror of nobility — or at least, what it demanded her to be. She was sure her empire wouldn’t concern itself with these ’little’ matters, so she sent them a letter, informing them she would be standing in for them. And as expected, they didn’t care what happened. Arrayed around them were representatives from several great and small kingdoms, each styled in ways only their nation could produce. In a meeting such as this, appearance spoke volumes before lips could be parted and speech produced. Kesha, knowing this, didn’t allow herself to be left out. She wore white silk draped with silver frost from the Glacial Empire. Henndar wore red robes trimmed with golden feathers. The ladies of the Myriad Depths Kingdom wore beaded aquatic garments. The towering figure of Khaizen from the Celestial Fang Kingdom stood silent, arms folded, cloaked in the dull greys of leather. And among them, the eerie masked delegate of the Bone-Serpent lands. This time, they sent a woman, one known to them all. She was Serephene Bane, the eldest of the five daughters of the king of the Bone Kingdom, also known as the five claws of the Bone Kingdom, who served as the Kingdom’s commanders. A crystal formation hovered midair, displaying a map riddled with glowing red markers. "...And the latest attack occurred here," Henndar’s finger stabbed the air over one marker. "A border town under the Azure Valley, razed in a single night. No survivors." The Azure Valley was owned by the Vermillion Kingdom. Silence. The kind that frays nerves. "Frightful... but what does that have to do with us?" The Myriad Depths’ delegate leaned back, voice smooth as silk and twice as sharp. "It seems this shadow you speak of has a particular fondness for your lands, Your Majesty." Henndar did not flinch. "The same shadow that attacked my borders some time ago." His eyes were steel. "I warned you during my daughter’s ceremony. You chose to dismiss it. And now—" he waved a hand, the crystal shifted— "it spreads." "The dead cannot spread." Another representative rumbled, arms still crossed. "As the second most powerful force, you should be able to kill it." "If only it were that simple," Henndar shook his head gently. "We tried. What we fought was... a shell. A fragment. Someone... something is orchestrating this. The attacker seemed to have a bird’s eye view of all of this." He stretched his hand over the map. "I say this because when I set a trap for the target, no attacks were repeated in the region. Isn’t that strange?" Kesha’s eyes flicked sideways, but her lips remained sealed. Observing. Calculating. The Bone-Serpent delegate tapped bony fingers against the table but said nothing. "Your Majesty," a rep of the Myriad depths sighed, brushing wet blue strands from her face. She was dry, but her hair always remained damp. "No offense, but every great kingdom faces its demons. Perhaps this one is simply yours to bear." "Is it?" Henndar’s gaze sharpened. "How convenient. You said the same weeks ago during the last meeting. And yet..." His finger traced across the map — one, two, three. "...Tell me why these latest attacks are nowhere near my borders." Eyes widened as they all craned their necks to observe. "Impossible," one ambassador whispered, but the tremor in his voice betrayed the denial. "Not impossible," Henndar’s voice lowered. "Inevitable." Kesha finally spoke, voice calm, clipped, royal. "Deny it all you like. The attacker does not respect borders. You should all know that better than anyone." Another delegate scoffed but said nothing further. The air shifted again — not towards agreement, but towards unease. One delegate raised a hand to ask a question. "I believe you are Kesha Frostborn, second princess of the Glacial Empire, right?" He looked very serious as he asked the question. Kesha returned his gaze. "My identity is no secret to all of you here. What is it you want?" "News travels fast. You see, I heard you were engaged to the young prince of this Kingdom. Is that true?" Suddenly, a heavy silence settled over the room. Kesha didn’t worry or panic. She remained calm as she responded. "Whether those are rumours or the truth, it has nothing to do with you, or the matters we are discussing. It would be best if you go sit in a bar somewhere if your main reason for being here is to talk about other people’s personal matters." There she was, the sharp-tongued Kesha who wouldn’t let anyone go scot free. The one who addressed her couldn’t find anything to say in response to that, just an embarasses smile as he tried to laugh it off. Henndar spoke up again. "Now, to what I was pointing to you all..." And so the hours dragged. Heated. Pointed. Fruitless. While words were sharpened into weapons inside cold halls, the palace gardens whispered a different song. A gentle breeze danced among lilacs and starflowers, sending waves across the tall grass. Here, the world felt untouched — no war, no attacks on lands, no politics. Only sunlight, laughter, and the fragile illusion of peace. Aramith sat sprawled under the shade of a blossom tree, chewing lazily on a blade of grass. "I do hope mom is safe. I heard from father that they’re having this meeting because of some attacks that have been randomly happening." "Mmhm," Mozrael hummed, weaving flower stems into a crooked crown. "I don’t think we should worry about her at all. Only a fool would ever dream of attacking her. She’s out there with Commander Lexon." "True." He smirked. "I believe she’s safe." Lia giggled softly, seated between them. Her hands carefully trailed the ground — fingertips brushing against petals, counting stones, tracing roots she couldn’t see. It was instinct now. The little ways she stitched the world together when sight refused her. Mozrael glanced at her, holding back the urge to say something, anything about how unfair it all was. Instead, she nudged Lia’s shoulder. "You should raise your head some more. The flowers are nicer than the dirt." Lia laughed. "Yes, yes. I’m sitting straight now. Thank you, my royal tutor." "Okay." Mozrael placed the crooked flower crown on Lia’s head, grinning. "There. Perfect. You look like a queen." Aramith chuckled. "It’s crooked." Mozrael felt embarrassed. "But it’s not that crooked..." Lia smiled, but her fingers tensed ever so slightly. "Hey... Mozrael?" "Yeah?" "You said the sky’s really... beautiful today, right?" She tried to sound very casual. "Tell me, what makes it different from yesterday? The sky is still the sky, you know?" Aramith chuckled. Mozrael said that randomly because she didn’t want them to just sit in silence. Because Lia had been less active, she wanted to be more active in their group. Lia’s question, coupled with Aramith’s finding amusement in it, made her freeze. "It’s... well... it’s blue. Bright. Kind of like... like—" Her words tangled. Her mouth opened, then closed. "It’s... like peace, I guess. Like when the wind feels warm and the clouds are fluffy, and you don’t have to worry about anything." Lia smiled, nodding, but deep down... Blue... what was blue again? Her memories groped for the color, but it was only a hollow echo now. A gust of wind found them and picked up the flower crown on her head, scattering the individual flowers as well as her thoughts. The sun had long reached its highest point and was making a descent towards the horizon, but the atmosphere inside the meeting room remained suffocatingly stagnant — as though sunlight itself refused to pierce the suffocating cloud of distrust that hung over the room. Gone were the sharp jabs and early morning arrogance. What remained now was a cold, heavy silence broken only by the occasional shuffle of paper, the clinking of tea cups, and the brittle scratch of quills etching frustrations onto parchment. Henndar sat unmoving, his chin resting on interlocked fingers, studying the map now littered with more red markers than anyone in this room was willing to admit to. "—Seventeen confirmed attacks outside to the east," Kesha recited flatly, arms crossed. Her eyes were narrowed, sharp, but her voice was level. Controlled. "Six of those within proximity to the Vermillion trade routes, five near the coastal veins of the Leviathan Sea, two skirting northern lines, and four... directly beside Glacial territories." The air shifted. "Lies." One elder slammed a fist on the table. "Our borders are impenetrable!" He was from one of the smaller kingdoms under the protection of the Myriad Depths. Kesha didn’t blink. "The dead disagree. You haven’t heard anything because no survivors were left there." "Mind your tongue, girl," another delegate rumbled. "Since you know who I am, it’s best if you behave." Henndar finally spoke, voice quieter but heavier. "Tell me... what borders does this attacker obey?" His gaze swept across them, lingering. "You think you can deal with this alone?" The question was more directed at the smaller groups. A long silence ensued. An elder adjusted his sleeves, leaning forward. "Suppose, hypothetically, you are correct... then who commands these attacks?" "That... is the question I want us all to find," Henndar replied, fingers tightening. His tone was calm as ever. "And yet, here we are, acting immature." The Bone-Serpent delegate finally moved — a slender, bone-covered finger tapping the table in rhythmic beats. No words. Just that. Tap. Tap. Tap. A warning? Or simply a reminder of how little time they had left? Kesha inhaled, hands clasped behind her. "This... isn’t random." She paced slowly. "This isn’t chaos. Look at the pattern." Her fingers gestured to the crimson map. "This is pruning. Testing weaknesses. Observing responses. Whoever... whatever is behind this—they are waiting. All areas that have been attacked are places that take time to receive information from. You can all consider the fact that the one we’re all dealing with knows a lot, which leads to the conclusion that the attacker could be among us." One delegate frowned. "If I am not mistaken, then based on this assumption, those of us who have not been attacked should not be involved in this, right?" He thought fast, wanting to have nothing to do with where all this was going. ‎"You seem to ignore the fact that you are all targets in this, and I can assure you that you will all be next," Henndar spoke nonchalantly ‎"Is that a threat? From the way you’re speaking, I could say you’re the one instigating these attacks. What if you’re just using this as an excuse to attack us all? Trying to bring an imbalance in the powers of the land?" Another asked, frowning. ‎Henndar laced his hands on the table. ‎"You may be right. I could be the one orchestrating all of this." ‎Frowns, gasps, and whispers filled the room immediately. ‎"What is the meaning of this?!" "So you just bring us here to threaten us?" "So this meeting is just a declaration of war?" "Then why would he attack himself?" "He even set a trap...no, it doesn’t make sense..." "You may be the second most powerful force here, but don’t forget that there are other races out there." There were mixed reactions in there; some suspecting, others doubting, but then... ‎Khaizen got up. He knew things were already tense between the kingdoms, but this was just plain stupidity. How could they not understand his words? "Enough!" He bellowed, banging a fist on the table.‎ All voices ceased immediately. "And what if I am the one instigating these attacks?" He spoke loud and clear. As the leader of the Celestial Fang Kingdom, this was a heavy threat, and it threw them all into disarray. The whole Celestial Fang Kingdom was just a grand military. "What are you trying to say? "My people could also be causing this." "For what?" the Leviathan’s rep murmured, voice uneasy. Nobody answered. Henndar leaned back. "Maybe we want to cause an imbalance in the powers aws some of you suspect," he smiled.