Everything was going smoothly exactly as Roman had planned.
Phase one of Operation Specter had succeeded, the seeds of chaos in Ephor dukedom were growing, and the world was unknowingly shifting under his hand.
Yet… his heart was uneasy.
A hollow weight pressed against his chest. A familiar heaviness the same he once carried as Ronald, the emperor who reshaped an entire world with ruthless resolve and merciless justice.
He clenched his jaw.
Am I repeating it again? The same cruelty… the same madness?
He didn't want to become that man again.
But this world… this situation… demanded the beast as much as it demanded the king.
Silent and restless, Roman rose and walked to his chambers.
He lay down, hoping to quiet his mind — and almost instantly, sleep pulled him under.
He was back in his old throne room alive, the scent of war still hanging in the air.
A gentle voice whispered behind him, soft like morning sunlight breaking through battlefield smoke.
"My dear Ronald… you are both beauty and beast.
Be yourself. Don't regret. Move ahead."
Roman's breath caught.
He knew that voice.
Ruth.
He turned sharply.
"Ruth… don't leave me."
His hand reached forward but everything dissolved into white mist.
Roman gasped awake.
Empty room. Silence.
That ache in his chest deeper than any blade returned.
He stood up immediately.
He wrapped himself in a dark hooded cloak, leaped out his window, and soared into the night using flight magic.
Selena, watching from a distance, narrowed her eyes.
"So you're going there again, aren't you, little brother?"
She followed.
Roman landed at the palace gate, nodded briefly to the guards, and walked toward the familiar quiet refuge — Solara River.
There, he sat. Still. Silent.
His reflection trembled in the moonlit water, fighting between who he was… and who he feared becoming again.
Then
SHRRRRT!
The shadow system glitched violently.
Black streaks ran across his vision, numbers scrambled, crimson warnings surged.
> ⚠︎ WARNING — MASSIVE MONSTER WAVE DETECTED
⚠︎ IMPACT PROBABILITY: EXTREME
⚠︎ EVEN FALLEN GOD'S POWER AFFECTED
⚠︎ LOCATION: UNKNOWN
Roman blinked rapidly.
"Not again… not now."
He slammed his fist into the ground, cracks splitting out like lightning.
The river stirred.
A dark shape slithered beneath the surface — enormous, sinister, wrong.
Roman's eyes widened.
Dungeon… again? Here?
He dove into the water instantly.
Cold darkness swallowed him as he searched, lungs burning, mana pulsing but he saw nothing. Only silence.
Until
"What are you doing, Roman?! If you wanted to bathe, the palace bath exists!"
Roman surfaced, gasping.
Selena hovered over the river, arms crossed, expression torn between concern and annoyance.
"You gods really," he muttered, lifting himself from the water with magic.
He extended a hand.
Selena instinctively grabbed it — and Roman launched skyward with her in tow, shooting toward the palace like a falling star reversed in time.
They rushed inside, breathless.
Jacob stood from behind his desk, startled. "What happened?! Roman—"
"How many knights can we ready for full combat immediately?" Roman demanded.
Jacob's eyes narrowed.
Has Noah found out? Is war coming?
Roman spoke sharply, as if reading his father's mind.
"It's not Ephor retaliation. A dungeon breakout massive scale. Soon. Unknown location yet."
Jacob froze.
"A-again? How do you know?"
Roman didn't answer. He didn't need to.
Selena added, serious, "Father… believe him."
Jacob exhaled slowly. "Sixty to seventy percent of our knights can be battle-ready."
"Not enough," Roman muttered. "Damn it… not now."
"Where is Grey?" Roman asked.
"With his family. Short leave," Selena replied softly.
Roman's jaw tightened. "Send for him immediately."
Jacob nodded. "Done."
Roman turned to a mage nearby. "Contact Master Velkan. Now."
A heartbeat later, Velkan's voice came through the magical link.
"Yes, young master?"
"Phase two paused. Emergency priority shift. Massive monster surge incoming. Warn all covert units. If things go bad in Ephor, join battle with their knights."
Velkan inhaled sharply. "Understood. I will alert them immediately."
"And Velkan" Roman's voice sharpened, the emperor's steel surfacing.
"No civilian casualties. Presian knights come home alive. If things escalate, I will intervene myself."
"Yes, young master!"
Connection cut.
Roman exhaled sharply, anger flaring.
"Why now? Of all times?!"
The room fell silent.
Even the air seemed afraid to move.
Because in that moment Roman wasn't just the young heir.
He was Ronald, the Warborn King resurfacing.
And the world trembled in answer.