Alaric had just reached the heavy grand doors, his hand resting on the golden handle to leave, when Commander Darius's voice stopped him cold.
"Your Majesty," Darius said. His tone was slow, careful, and heavy with dread. The Commander had not risen from his knee. "There is another matter... one of grave importance."
Alaric turned back, his brows pulling together in a sharp frown. "Speak."
The Commander finally stood up, his battered armor clinking in the quiet room. "Our scouts have confirmed the rumors. They found a Terra King's Egg."
The words hit the room like a lightning strike. The suffocating tension instantly returned. One of the maids gasped out loud. Another frantically whispered a prayer. Empress Selene's eyes went wide, and she hugged baby Ace tight against her chest.
"Impossible," Selene whispered, her face pale. "A Terra King?"
Darius nodded grimly. "Yes, my Empress. As you know, Terra Beasts roam all the wildlands of Elyra. But once in a thousand years, a rare mutation happens. A beast is born with a will so dominant it can command all others of its kind. That is a Terra King. The egg alone holds unimaginable power. Whoever hatches and tames it will command an entire species."
Alaric's face turned completely to stone. "Where was it found?"
"In the neutral wildlands, right on the border of Voltaire and Infris," Darius explained. "Baron Vislisk found it on a hunting trip. Thinking it was a gift from the gods, he brought it to Earl Saer as tribute."
The Emperor's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "Then how, Commander, did the Infris Empire find out about it?"
Darius swallowed hard. "We do not know yet. But they reacted immediately. Two nights ago, Infris troops marched right into Vislisk's lands. His estate is already burned to the ground. Right now, their vanguard is marching on Earl Saer's stronghold. They are coming for the egg."
Selene's voice shook with sudden, fierce anger. "If Infris gets that egg, they will destroy the balance of the entire continent! An army of Terra Beasts answering to their command... it would be the end of us."
"Exactly, Your Majesty," Darius agreed darkly. "Even our mighty legions would be slaughtered by a beast that controls the wilds."
A deadly, suffocating silence filled the room again. Alaric stood perfectly still. The shadows in the room seemed to stretch and grow around him. When he finally looked up, his eyes burned with a terrifying fire.
"Then they will not have it."
Alaric stepped away from the door, his cape swirling around his armored boots. "The Terra King's Egg belongs to the Voltaire Empire. We do not just march to defend our borders anymore. We march to take what is ours. Let Infris learn what happens when you steal from a sleeping lion."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Darius slammed a heavy iron fist against his chest in a crisp salute. He turned and practically ran out the door to rally the troops.
Alaric stood in the quiet room for one last moment. He looked back at his wife. His hard, terrifying gaze melted into something warm and fiercely protective. He walked over and gently brushed a loose strand of white hair behind Selene's ear.
"For Ace," Alaric whispered, looking at his sleeping son. "For Voltaire... that egg will be ours."
Selene didn't say a word. She just watched him walk out, the heavy doors closing with a firm *thud* behind him. The massive weight of destiny pressed down on the quiet room.
Outside, the wind howled around the palace spires.
Far away, in the dark, unclaimed wilds between the two empires, deep inside a nest of tangled roots and stone... a glowing, earth-colored shell sat hidden.
*Thump. Thump.*
Inside, the unborn Terra King stirred for the very first time.
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