Back at the Tempest Palace, chaos thundered just beyond the walls. Royal guards held their ground at the perimeter, swords drawn and myst flaring as they clashed against the rising tide of Gaia demons and hybrids. Not a single creature had breached their line—yet. But every strike they landed, every roar they withstood, came with the weight of protecting the one person they could never allow to fall: their monarch.
At their helm stood Gerrard Reed, the Knight–Commander of the Royal Guard, barking orders with the discipline of a man who'd faced death too many times to be rattled.
Inside the palace, far removed from the frontline carnage—yet still walking through shadows of urgency—Queen Lucy moved swiftly through the marbled corridors. Flanked by four elite members of the Royal Corps, two walked at her sides, one ahead, and one watching their rear like a hawk.
