[Empire of Qashmar — Imperial Palace — Evening]

Night had slowly settled over the mountains of Qashmar. Thousands of lanterns illuminated the Imperial Palace. Waterfalls echoed endlessly beyond the cliffs, and inside the private imperial chamber, Emperor Tharzek sat alone.

A crystal goblet rested within his hand; dark wine swirled lazily inside it. His expression remained calm, but his eyes were not. They were cold, sharp, and calculating.

The eyes of a ruler carrying an entire empire upon his shoulders, especially now because Ashkareth still lived, and every day that monster remained alive, Qashmir bled.

Then—

KNOCK.

KNOCK.

"Come in."

The chamber doors opened. Lord Lior entered, and the Grand Duke bowed respectfully.

Tharzek took another sip of wine as his voice remained casual. "What about the Serpent Emperor?"

Lior answered immediately. "I have returned him to House Vaelric." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Tharzek nodded once because keeping Zeramet within the Imperial Palace would attract attention, questions, rumors, and spies.

And right now none of those things were welcome. Then Tharzek slowly placed his goblet upon the table. "What information have you received?"

Silence.

Lior’s expression changed slightly, and immediately the emperor noticed, and suddenly his instincts sharpened because that expression usually meant one thing. Something important.

Then quietly the Grand Duke spoke. "We found his consort."

The goblet stopped halfway toward Tharzek’s lips, and everything went still for him.

"...What?"

And the Emperor looked genuinely surprised.

Lior nodded. "The Silver Serpent’s consort, we found him."

Tharzek slowly lowered the goblet, then asked as his voice became serious now. "...Where?"

Lior answered, "The border village, Sah’Rumeh."

The emperor immediately froze the mountain village, the protected village, and the same village currently under imperial observation, and the emperor’s eyes widened as he mumbled. "Sah’Rumeh?"

Lior nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Silence.

Then Tharzek slowly leaned forward. "...The village where your son Kael is stationed?"

"Yes."

The answer came immediately, and somehow that made the situation worse. Far worse, and for several moments neither man spoke. Only the distant sound of waterfalls filled the chamber.

Then quietly Tharzek asked, "I heard his consort was human and an Alpha."

Lior nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."

The Grand Duke moved toward the table; several intelligence reports appeared as he opened one document.

"Our information confirms it. The consort originates from a northern empire called Thalryn. He belongs to one of the most prestigious noble houses, and by all accounts..."

Lior paused briefly.

"...he is extremely capable."

Silence, and then he continued. "He stood against Srirrash’s Omega Queen; he protected his empire when it needed him, and according to several reports..."

His eyes lifted toward Tharzek.

"...he once stood against his own husband when they discovered the hidden vault, and it became a two-empire dispute."

The Emperor listened quietly, and his expression slowly darkened, not because the information was bad but because it was dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Then finally he spoke, "He sounds strong."

Lior nodded. "He is."

Silence.

Then suddenly Tharzek sighed, a long sigh, the kind rulers released whenever fate decided to create problems. "This is not good."

The Grand Duke nodded. "I know."

The Emperor rose from his chair, walking slowly toward the balcony. The mountains stretched endlessly before him, and somewhere beyond them Ashkareth waited.

Then quietly Tharzek spoke. "We cannot allow them to meet."

Silence.

Lior nodded immediately because he had reached the same conclusion. "If Zeramet reunites with his consort...nothing will keep him in Qashmir. He may return to Thalryn; he will abandon every negotiation and march toward Zahryssar immediately with the Thalryn army, which also means the deal collapses."

"Exactly." Tharzek’s voice lowered and his gaze became cold. "And if the new Malik discovers his predecessor’s consort is hiding inside our empire...war becomes inevitable."

Silence.

The reality settled heavily between them because they were already struggling against Ashkareth. The kingdom was exhausted; the barriers weakened every month, resources diminished, and soldiers died.

And the last thing Qashmir needed was a war against Zahryssar, not now. Not while the beast still lived.

Then quietly Lior spoke. "We are not strong enough to fight both."

The Emperor nodded. "I know."

Silence.

Then finally Tharzek turned, as the ruler of Qashmir had made his decision. "Send a letter to Kael."

Immediately Lior straightened. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Tharzek’s eyes darkened as his voice became firm.

"Tell him to watch the village carefully, and under no circumstances...is the Silver Serpent’s consort allowed to leave Sah’Rumeh."

Silence.

The Grand Duke understood immediately this was not cruelty; this was necessity. At least that was what both men told themselves.

Then Lior bowed deeply. "As you command, Your Majesty."

And just like that, a decision made inside an imperial chamber began moving fate once more because neither ruler realized one thing. The more they tried to keep Levin and Zeramet apart, the harder fate would push them together.

***

[The Next Day — Early Morning]

Dawn had barely touched the mountains of Qashmir. The horizon glowed faintly gold; cold mist drifted between the cliffs, and far above the kingdom, an eagle soared silently through the sky.

Iru.

His wings cut through the mountain winds effortlessly, and below him, villages slowly awakened. Merchants prepared their stalls. Farmers led livestock from stone shelters.

Wolf patrols changed shifts, and nobody paid him any attention because to them he was merely an eagle.

Just another mountain bird.

Nothing unusual, nothing worth noticing. Which was exactly why Iru preferred this form. The sky belonged to birds, and nobody questioned birds.

The imperial capital of Vaelthor slowly appeared upon the horizon. Even from the sky the city looked enormous. Stone bridges connected mountains. Waterfalls crashed endlessly down the cliffs. Thousands of buildings spread across the valley.

And above everything, the Imperial Palace stood proudly like a wolf king watching his territory.

Iru narrowed his eyes because unlike the previous day he had a destination now.

"If Malik truly is here..." The wind carried his quiet words away. "...then I will find him."

Hours later the eagle finally descended, not inside the palace, not near the guards, not near the crowded city streets. Instead, he landed upon one of the highest mountain ridges overlooking the noble district.

A perfect place to observe and a perfect place to search.

Immediately his sharp eyes scanned the estates below. One...two...five...ten. Dozens of noble manors spread across the mountainside.

Some are large, some are small, and some are heavily guarded. Iru remained perfectly still, watching, waiting, and searching.

Then suddenly his gaze stopped at a particular estate, larger than the others. More guards. More patrols. More security, and strangely, the guards were not facing outward.

They were facing inward, as though protecting something inside...or someone.

Iru’s heartbeat quickened because that wasn’t normal, not even for nobles. His sharp eyes moved toward the banner hanging above the estate.

A silver wolf upon a black mountain.

House Vaelric.

Iru stared...then stared harder, and suddenly a familiar feeling brushed against him. Tiny, weak, but unmistakable.

His eyes widened because for one brief moment he felt it. The aura, the aura he had served his entire life.

The aura of Zahryssar’s true Malik.

"Malik..." The word escaped him like a breath; his entire body trembled because the feeling had come from House Vaelric.

Not the palace, exactly as Levin predicted. For several moments Iru simply stood frozen upon the mountain ridge.

Then slowly a smile appeared, the first genuine smile in weeks because his Malika had been right.

Again.

And far below inside House Vaelric, a silver-haired emperor stood beside a window, completely unaware that someone loyal enough to cross kingdoms had finally found him, but he didn’t know that...while he was about to find his malik...his malika was about to reach the danger.

***

[Sah’Rumeh Village — The Same Time]

The morning sun had only just begun rising above the desert mountains. Warm light spilled across Sah’Rumeh. Inside the healer’s hut the silver and golden eggs rested safely beneath layers of blankets. Lyresaph remained curled around them protectively. His silver scales occasionally glow faintly.

Asha sat nearby, eyes half-closed yet alert, and Levin sat beside the eggs. His fingers gently brushing across their shells, a faint smile resting upon his face.

Then—

KNOCK.

The wooden door opened. Levin looked up and saw Kael standing there. The wolf warrior seemed strangely uncomfortable because this was the same man who usually spoke without hesitation.

Yet now he avoided Levin’s eyes completely as his voice came awkwardly. "Greetings, Malik."

Levin blinked. "Captain Kael."

Kael suddenly found the floor extremely interesting, and then finally he cleared his throat. "...Do you need anything?"

Levin stared, then glanced around the hut, the eggs, the blankets, and the herbs, and then looked back toward him.

"...No."

Silence as Kael nodded, then immediately nodded again. As though he had forgotten what he wanted to say.

"...Good, that’s good."

Levin’s brows slowly furrowed because this behavior was becoming increasingly strange. Then Kael looked around the hut, and his eyes narrowed.

"...Where is Iru?"

Levin paused, immediately understanding what he was asking. "Iru went to prepare some—"

BANG!!!

The hut door exploded open, and everyone flinched. A wolf soldier stumbled inside. Panting, sweating, and terrified.

Absolute terror filled his face. Kael immediately straightened. "What happened?"

The soldier’s chest rose violently; he looked like someone who had run without stopping. Then finally he shouted:

"ASHKARETH!!"

Silence.

The entire hut froze. Kael’s face instantly lost color. "...What?"

The soldier swallowed hard, then shouted again: "ASHKARETH IS MOVING TOWARD THE VILLAGE!"

Silence, an absolutely dangerous silence. Then suddenly outside, the warning bells began ringing.

DONG!!!

DONG!!!

DONG!!!

DONG!!!

The sound echoed throughout Sah’Rumeh, and the peaceful village erupted into chaos. Children screamed, women rushed from their homes, wolf warriors grabbed weapons, and panic spread faster than fire.

Inside the hut Levin slowly stood, his heart suddenly beating faster because he had heard that name before.

Ashkareth.

The beast, the monster that terrified an entire empire. Kael immediately grabbed the soldier’s shoulders.

"Where?" His voice thundered. "HOW FAR?"

The soldier trembled. "Three mountain ridges away! It destroyed two watchtowers already!"

Silence, then another soldier’s scream echoed outside.

"TO ARMS!!"

"ALL WARRIORS TO THE GATES!!"

"ASHKARETH HAS BEEN SPOTTED!!"

Asha instantly stood.

GROWWWWWL.

His fur rose. Lyresaph lifted his head; the silver dragon’s blue eyes narrowed, and a deep growl escaped him.

As though some ancient instinct had awakened, Levin slowly looked toward his children, resting safely within the nest.

And suddenly something cold crawled down his spine because for the first time since arriving at Sah’Rumeh danger had found them. Something capable of terrifying an entire empire.

Then suddenly another terrified scream echoed from outside.

"IT’S COMING FASTER THAN EXPECTED!!"

Kael immediately rushed toward the door, but before leaving, he stopped. His eyes moved toward Levin. Toward the family he had been ordered not to let leave.

And fear appeared within the wolf warrior’s eyes because if Ashkareth reached the village, he wasn’t certain even the barriers would survive.

And somewhere beyond the mountains, completely unaware of the approaching disaster, Iru had finally found Zeramet.