[Eastern Zahryssar — Sah’qir Village Perimeter — Before Dawn]

Before dawn the desert forgot how to breathe.

The winds had stopped completely; no sand shifted and no dunes whispered. Even the imperial flames surrounding the encampment burned strangely low, their blue light flickering weakly as though suffocating beneath some invisible pressure hanging over Sah’qir itself.

And beyond the camp, the village remained standing beneath moonlight like a grave refusing burial.

The imperial camp had already awakened long before sunrise. Knights sharpened blades; mages prepared protective sigils. Attendants moved nervously between tents carrying medicines, weapons, and emergency supplies.

No one spoke loudly, not here, not near Sah’qir.

Then the imperial tent curtains parted softly, and Levin stepped outside wrapped in pale desert robes beneath a thin silver veil concealing the lower half of his face.

Moonlight spilled across his hair while cold dawn shadows sharpened the calmness in his blue gaze. Behind him, Iru followed, carrying medicine trays, while Physician Naram stepped forward immediately.

"Malika..." The physician bowed carefully before offering a small golden pill resting within his palm. "Your morning medicine."

Levin glanced toward it briefly before accepting it calmly.

"Thank you."

He swallowed the medicine without hesitation. Then immediately stepped forward toward the gathered Red Knights near the camp perimeter.

The soldiers instantly straightened, ready to bow, but Levin raised one hand before they could.

"No." His voice came out calm, sharp, and unwavering. "This is not the time for formalities."

The desert winds shifted softly around him. "This is the time for action."

Every knight straightened further, listening carefully now. Levin’s blue gaze slowly swept across all of them, and despite his gentleness, something within him suddenly resembled Zeramet frighteningly.

Imperial, cold, and resolute.

"Spread across the village perimeter." He continued steadily as his hands slowly tightened around the robes near his waist. "Determine how far the corruption has spread, and if you encounter suspicious beasts...do not engage alone."

The knights listened in complete silence.

"Every division will move with at least one mage." Levin’s gaze darkened slightly toward Sah’qir. "You will fight together."

The atmosphere around the camp sharpened instantly afterward. "Yes, Malika!"

And just like that, the imperial forces divided rapidly across the desert. Knights mounted drakes. Mages ignited tracking runes. Search units disappeared into the dunes surrounding Sah’qir Village.

Nearby, Lyresaph remained curled protectively near the imperial tent in his full dragon form.

Massive silver scales reflected faintly beneath the dying moonlight while his deep blue gaze followed every movement around Levin with ancient attentiveness.

And somehow that made him appear even more ancient and more unnatural. Meanwhile, Asha sat near Lyresaph...in alert mode, growling, and she behaved exactly the same.

Territorially, violently, and emotionally. At that exact moment—

Asha climbed directly onto one of Lyresaph’s massive coils and hissed toward several knights walking too close to Levin.

The knights immediately changed directions.

"...she truly behaves like royalty now." One exhausted mage whispered quietly.

Then suddenly Levin frowned faintly as he looked towards his side instinctively and realized an emptiness. "...my sword...Iru."

Immediately Iru bowed. "Yes, Malika."

"Bring me my sword." Without another word Iru disappeared into the imperial tent swiftly before returning moments later carrying Levin’s blade carefully wrapped in dark cloth.

He lowered himself respectfully. "Malika."

Levin accepted the sword slowly, then instead of immediately taking it, he stared at Iru, longer than usual and quietly.

Iru slowly looked upward, confused. "...Malika?"

Levin stepped closer. Close enough that only Iru could properly hear him as his voice lowered softly.

"Today...we need you."

The words instantly made Iru flinch hard because he understood immediately what Levin truly meant.

The eagle.

The hidden identity no one else within Zahryssar knew, the natural enemy of serpents and the existence that could shatter everything if revealed carelessly.

Iru swallowed quietly as his voice lowered uneasily. "...if the Malik discovers what I truly am...he may—"

"Do you trust me?" Levin interrupted gently.

Silence, and then immediately Iru bowed deeply, more deeply than before. "I trust you more than my own life, Malika."

Levin’s expression softened faintly beneath the veil. His blue gaze slowly turned towards Sah’qir village again. "Then follow my lead. Today...the serpents of this village need you."

Iru’s eyes widened slightly afterward because those words were exactly why he followed Levin so absolutely, not because Levin was powerful and not because he was royal but because even after everything, Levin still chose to save his people first.

Nearby Lyresaph slowly lifted his massive head while his blue eyes narrowed toward Sah’qir suddenly and dangerously.

Asha immediately stood atop his scales, growling lowly because deep inside the dead village something had begun moving again.

And before dawn could fully arrive, Sah’qir Village was finally about to reveal its first nightmare.

***

[Eastern Zahryssar — The Outer Desert Route — Early Morning]

The eastern desert stretched endlessly beneath the pale early dawn.

Gold dunes rolled across the horizon like sleeping waves while heat already shimmered against the sands despite the sun barely rising.

And somewhere within that endless wasteland, Raviel rode ahead lazily atop a dark desert horse while beside him, Zyvera looked personally betrayed by the existence of sunlight.

"I truly believe..." She dramatically covered her face with silk cloth. "...I should have remained home."

Raviel did not even glance at her. "That would require responsibility."

"This heat is destroying my beauty."

That finally made Raviel pause, and slowly he turned toward her with the flattest expression imaginable.

"Your beauty? You had a beauty...what a tragic joke."

Zyvera gasped loudly, deeply offended. "Are you saying I am not beautiful?"

"Yes." The answer came immediately without hesitation and without mercy.

Zyvera looked genuinely heartbroken; she pointed dramatically at him. "I survived thieves, assassins, and underground markets...only to die beside an emotionally abusive brother."

"You are still alive, unfortunately."

"I hope the desert eats you."

"I hope it starts with your personality."

Zyvera narrowed her eyes murderously while Raviel smirked victoriously. Then suddenly Raviel’s expression changed, and the humor vanished instantly. "...looks like we arrived."

Zyvera blinked before immediately turning forward as well, and the moment she saw the distant village, her face lost all color.

"...what..." Her voice came faintly. "...what happened there?"

Far ahead, Sah’qir Village stood beneath the pale morning sky like something abandoned by life itself. The buildings looked hollow, darkened, and rotting, and the black corruption spread through the streets like veins beneath dead flesh.

Even from this distance the village felt wrong. The horses beneath them became restless instantly, snorting nervously and refusing to move closer.

Zyvera slowly lowered her voice. "...brother...that village feels cursed."

Raviel remained unusually silent, his sharp eyes carefully scanned everything ahead now. The ruined village, the blackened sand, and the faint imperial banners are visible farther away.

Then finally he spotted them. The imperial encampment, blue flames burning against the dunes. Imperial tents surrounding the perimeter.

The Red Knights are moving cautiously around the camp.

Raviel’s eyes narrowed slightly. "There."

Zyvera followed his gaze. "The imperial camp?"

He nodded slowly. "Looks like we arrived at the correct nightmare."

Zyvera stared toward Sah’qir again uneasily. "...you still wish to approach that place?"

Raviel glanced toward the travel bag carrying the pink diamond necklace carefully hidden inside. Then toward the imperial banners, then finally toward Sah’qir as his voice lowered quietly.

"Yes, because whatever is happening here...is bigger than Zahryssar itself."

The desert winds suddenly shifted colder, unnaturally colder. Zyvera visibly shivered. "...I dislike that sentence deeply."

Raviel smirked faintly before guiding his horse forward. "Come, sweetest sister."

"I hate when you call me that."

"You tolerate it beautifully."

And together the underground siblings rode slowly toward the imperial encampment, toward the Malik, toward the Malika, and toward Sah’qir Village.

And unknowingly toward the ancient thing already watching all of them from beneath the sands. Two extremely underprepared underground informants were regretting life choices.

***

[Eastern Zahryssar — Imperial Command Tent — Morning]

The imperial command tent had grown suffocating, not from heat but from tension.

Heavy maps covered the central table while enchanted lanterns burned dimly despite the morning sun already rising outside. Reports, parchments, corrupted sand samples, and strange black markings had been spread across the desk like pieces of a nightmare no one fully understood yet.

And at the center of it all Zeramet stood silently, one hand resting against the table and golden eyes colder than steel. Nearby Levin remained seated beside the maps while Lyresaph rested outside the tent entrance like a living wall.

Even the dragon’s blue eyes looked restless, dangerously restless.

Then the tent curtains opened sharply and both Arkhazunn and Varesh stepped inside together. Their expressions alone were enough to darken the atmosphere further.

Varesh bowed immediately. "Malik."

Zeramet did not waste time. "Report."

Silence lingered briefly, then Varesh finally spoke as his jaw tightened slightly. "We inspected the entire outer perimeter of Sah’qir, and the corruption has spread beneath nearly every structure."

Levin frowned faintly. "How far?"

Arkhazunn answered this time as his emerald gaze darkened towards the maps. "Farther than ordinary corruption should ever reach. It is inside the wells, beneath the roads, within the walls...and even beneath the sand itself."

The room grew quieter. Zeramet’s expression hardened immediately and Raevhan stepped forward saying, "The Black Serpents, only those creatures spread corruption this aggressively."

But unexpectedly—Arkhazunn slowly shook his head. "No."

That single word immediately shifted the atmosphere. Zeramet’s gaze snapped toward him sharply.

"...explain."

Arkhazunn stepped closer toward the central table before placing several blackened sand samples upon it. The corruption spread across the grains unnaturally like living veins.

"This..." His fingers hovered above the sand carefully. "...was not caused naturally."

Levin narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

The High Mage inhaled slowly before answering. "The corruption was deliberate."

Silence, a dead silence. Even the lantern flames flickered lower. Varesh’s voice lowered grimly afterward. "There are no signs of battle inside the village, no destroyed defenses, no beast carcasses and no evidence of invasion."

Levin slowly straightened. "...meaning?"

Varesh’s expression darkened. "Meaning whatever happened here...happened quietly."

That that unsettled everyone far more than violence would have because villages do not die silently, not entire villages.

Zeramet’s fingers slowly curled against the edge of the table. "What about the orcs?"

Varesh immediately answered. "We found traces but not the creatures themselves."

Arkhazunn continued calmly afterward. "There are no nests, no feeding grounds, o territorial markings...and no evidence they ever remained here long enough to infect the village themselves."

Levin’s expression slowly changed because now the truth became even more disturbing. "...someone brought them here."

Arkhazunn nodded slowly. "Yes."

The tent fell silent again but this silence felt different, sharper and more dangerous now because suddenly this no longer resembled random corruption.

Nor beast attacks, nor even Black Serpent chaos. This felt planned.

Zeramet’s golden eyes darkened slowly beneath the lanternlight. "...someone used the orcs."

Varesh nodded grimly. "As distraction."

Levin’s fingers tightened faintly near the edge of the table. "To hide the real corruption."

Arkhazunn remained silent for several moments before quietly adding: "And there is something else."

Everyone looked toward him immediately. The High Mage’s expression had become unusually tense. "When I attempted to trace the magical origin beneath Sah’qir...something interrupted the spell."

Zeramet narrowed his eyes. "The Black Serpents?"

Again—Arkhazunn shook his head slowly as his voice lowered further. "No, Malik...this felt older...and familiar."

The word itself darkened the room. Zeramet’s expression changed immediately. "...what do you mean?"

Arkhazunn did not answer at once. Instead his emerald gaze lowered slowly toward the blackened sand samples spread across the table. Toward the strange serpent markings hidden within them.

And then toward Zeramet, for several long seconds the High Mage simply stared. As though debating whether some truths should remain buried.

Then suddenly something flashed across Zeramet’s eyes, a recognition.

An Impossible recognition. The Malik’s expression stiffened. "...no."

The whisper escaped him instinctively. Everyone inside the tent looked toward him immediately. Zeramet’s fingers slowly tightened against the edge of the table. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Hard enough for faint cracks to spread through the wood.

"There is no way..." His voice lowered dangerously. "...he is still ali—"

He stopped himself instantly mid-sentence. As though even speaking the possibility aloud felt forbidden, cursed and somehow that silence afterward frightened everyone more than an explanation would have.

Because the Malik of Zahryssar the serpent who stood calmly before wars, betrayals, and death—looked disturbed.

Truly disturbed. Before anyone could question further Raevhan suddenly stepped forward.

"Malik, If you permit..." His gaze shifted toward Sah’qir beyond the tent walls. "...I will enter the village personally and inspect the corruption directly."

Immediately Levin spoke. "No."

Raevhan blinked. "But Malika—"

"We do not know what waits inside that village." Levin cut him off calmly and firmly. "This is not ordinary corruption, we will not blindly throw knights toward death."

Raevhan lowered his head slightly afterward. Respectfully accepting the reprimand, then Levin’s gaze shifted slowly toward Sah’qir again. "...we need another perspective."

Zeramet looked toward him immediately. "What are you suggesting, consort?"

Levin’s blue gaze darkened faintly beneath the lanternlight. "We observe the village...through the eyes of a bird."

Several knights exchanged confused looks. Meanwhile Zeramet slowly frowned.

"That would be ideal..." He crossed his arms thoughtfully. "...but the imperial golden eagles have remained sealed for months, and we do not release them lightly."

Levin looked toward him quietly then softly said: "...we already possess an eagle eye here, Malik."

Silence.

Complete silence as the entire command tent froze because Levin’s gaze had shifted. Toward one specific person.

Iru.

The attendant visibly stiffened beneath everyone’s attention. His face immediately paled.

"...Malika..." His voice came faintly, almost pleading.

Levin stepped closer slowly gentle.

Yet unwavering. "Iru will observe the village from above."

The poor attendant looked seconds away from collapsing entirely. Meanwhile every serpent inside the tent stared at him in stunned disbelief.

Varesh furrowed immediately. "...how could a mere beta serpent possibly—"

"He is not a serpent." Levin interrupted calmly and then the words that shattered the entire room finally came. "...Iru is an omega eagle."

The tent went deathly silently, no one moved, no one breathed properly because eagles were the natural enemies of serpents.

Ancient enemies, predators and somehow one had been standing beside the Malika this entire time. Serving him, protecting him and trusted by him.

Varesh’s hand instinctively moved toward his sword. Several nearby knights visibly tensed, even Physician Naram looked stunned beyond words.

Meanwhile Iru stood trembling quietly beneath their stares like prey suddenly surrounded by predators.

But before anyone could react further Zeramet finally spoke.

"...consort." His voice came low and unreadable and slowly the Malik’s golden gaze shifted toward Iru.

The atmosphere inside the command tent became suffocating instantly because no one knew whether the next thing Zeramet said...would save Iru or kill him.