Chapter 162 THE DARK WORLD MOVES

Chapter 162 THE DARK WORLD MOVES
CHAPTER 162

Far from Sovranna, in the heart of the Dark World, leaders gathered in a vast chamber of black stone. The room was very large, its walls smooth and cold. Chairs stood around a huge circular table carved from dark rock.

Perched at the head of the table sat the Supreme Queen leader, Queen Nyxara. Her council adviser, Calystra, sat to her right, a sharp-featured woman with piercing eyes.

General Cassiel, the leader of her warriors, occupied the seat opposite, his broad frame tense. The seer Nyron sat quietly beside him, his old hands folded. Princess Isolde, Nyxara’s daughter, completed the circle, her posture straight but her fingers tapping restlessly on the table’s edge.

The air in the chamber felt thick and heavy, carrying the faint metallic scent of old blood and smoke from torches that burned low along the walls. Tension hung over them all.

Queen Nyxara slammed her fist on the table, the sharp crack echoing through the room. Her nails dug into the stone surface, leaving faint scratches. “Tonight’s attack was supposed to be decisive,” she said, her voice cold and laced with fury. “Instead, we lost more shadows than we gained ground. Emberlyn still breathes. Our forces scattered and destroyed like weaklings.”

Calystra leaned forward, her lips pressed thin. “The festival should have been chaotic. We had portals open in key positions. Yet the girl fought back. She combined powers in ways we did not predict.” She inhaled sharply. “I could smell the burned remains of our shadows from the reports.”

General Cassiel grunted, his armored shoulders shifting with barely contained rage. He slammed a heavy fist on the table, making the wood groan. “Failure. That is what tonight was. Our warriors are questioning the plan. Brienne acted without orders and paid for it.”

Princess Isolde shifted in her chair, her fingers stopping their tapping. She spoke up, her voice steady but edged with concern. “Our spy at the academy has been captured and contained. This is very bad for us. She could be tortured to reveal information about our operations.”

General Cassiel turned his head sharply toward her, his eyes narrowing. “That is the least of our worries. Brienne was stupid to openly go after Emberlyn. Her capture is her own fault.” His voice grew rough. “The main problem now is that the shadow attacks have been failing repeatedly. The Fire Queen has awakened her third element ahead of our projections. This changes everything.”

Seer Nyron lifted his head slowly, his aged voice rasping in the quiet chamber. “The sight shows she is growing stronger and faster than we anticipated. Her power is accelerating beyond what the old prophecies warned.”

Queen Nyxara rose from her seat, her chair scraping loudly against the stone floor. Fury burned in her eyes as she began pacing back and forth, her long robes whispering against the ground. “I cannot let that happen,” she hissed, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.

“We need a new strategy. For a thousand and five hundred years I have watched my sister and her offspring rule Sovranna. Every time I come close to claiming the throne, a Fire Queen steps in and destroys my plans.” Her voice rose, echoing off the black walls. “And just when I was close again, we discovered Emberlyn was alive. She did not die with her mother Titiana.”

Princess Isolde stood up slowly, her hands raised in a calming gesture. “We need to calm down and not take rash decisions or else it will fire back on us just as the festival did tonight.” Her voice carried a note of caution, but tension showed in the tight line of her shoulders.

Calystra nodded, her fingers drumming once on the table. “Direct attacks on the academy will not work. The defenses are too strong. Now that the council knows about the prophecy, they are protecting her with everything they have. We lost too many shadows trying to break through.”

Seer Nyron leaned forward, his eyes distant for a moment before focusing. “We should target Emberlyn’s emotional weaknesses instead of her magical ones. The plan is to isolate her, break her spirit, make her doubt herself and her purpose. A Fire Queen who does not believe in her own power is no threat.”

Queen Nyxara stopped pacing. She turned to face them, her breathing heavy. “You are right. We strike at her mind and heart.”

She pointed at Princess Isolde and Calystra. “You two will go to their world. Plant seeds of discord. Spread rumors in the wider magical world about a dangerous student at Velmora who cannot control her power. Make them fear her.”

She continued, voice growing colder, “Not only that, but manipulate politicians and influential families. Push them to call for Emberlyn’s expulsion or imprisonment for public safety. Turn her own people against her.”

Queen Nyxara turned to General Cassiel, her eyes sharp. “Prepare agents to search for the remaining pieces of the Fire Queen’s legacy. Ancient weapons and artifacts used by previous Queens. If we can find and destroy those items, we can limit Emberlyn’s potential power significantly.”

The general nodded once, his jaw set. “It will be done.”

Queen Nyxara returned to her seat, placing both hands flat on the table. The cold stone grounded her anger. “The real war is just beginning. We are patient. We have been waiting a thousand years for another Fire Queen as strong as Queen Polla. We can wait a little longer to destroy her.”

Silence fell over the chamber for a long moment. The torches flickered, casting shifting shadows across their faces. Each leader sat with their own thoughts.

Queen Nyxara felt the old rage burning deep in her chest, the same rage that had driven her for centuries. She would not let this new Fire Queen undo everything she had built. Not again.

Princess Isolde watched her mother carefully, worry and ambition mixing inside her. She knew the risks of failure but also the rewards of success. She also knew that of all people… she shouldn't be doing this. It feels like betrayal but what could she do?

She's borne with this mindset and brought up to the politics and enmity that has long been passed down through generations. No matter what she feels for Sovranna and Emberlym, this was her life. And she's going to live whether she loves it or not. Sjes the princess of the Dark World, the heir and next Queen after her mother.

Her mind already turned to the rumors they would spread, imagining the whispers that would erode Ember’s support. General Cassiel flexed his hands, eager for the next phase of warfare, his frustration from tonight’s losses still fresh. Seer Nyron remained quiet, his visions weighing heavily on him.

The meeting continued late into the night. Plans were refined with precise words and cold calculations. No one raised their voice again, but the fury remained, simmering beneath every decision. They would not strike blindly this time. They would break Ember from within, piece by piece, until she was no longer a threat to their long-awaited throne.

By the time they rose from the table, the torches had burned lower. The vast chamber felt even colder.

Queen Nyxara stood tallest among them, her resolve hardened. “Go. Begin the work. The Dark World moves.”

The others nodded and began to leave, their footsteps echoing in the large space. The failure at the festival would not be repeated. This time, they would be patient. This time, they would be thorough.

Emberlyn’s awakening had changed the game, but they were ready to change with it.