Chapter 64 – The Vanishing of the Moon and Him
The battlefield had gone silent.
For the first time since the war began, the clash of swords, the roars of warriors, and the cries of the wounded had stopped.
The soldiers from both sides stood frozen, eyes wide with disbelief.
Because two figures had vanished from the battlefield—
The War God's champion.
And the Moon Demigod.
Whispers of the Vanished
The Sun God's army was the first to break.
"They… they're gone?" a knight stammered, gripping his sword tightly.
"The Moon Demigod… she disappeared."
"And the Grand Duke's heir—he's missing too!"
Panic surged through their ranks.
One moment, the battlefield had been ablaze with power, the next—both legendary figures had vanished as if the war itself had swallowed them whole.
A general of the Sun God's forces shouted orders, trying to regain control.
"Search for her! Now!"
The soldiers scrambled in all directions, searching desperately for Aetheria.
But she was gone.
Completely.
At the same time, the imperial army, led by the Everhart forces, was thrown into chaos.
"The heir is missing!"
A knight knelt before Grand Duke Aldric Everhart, his face pale. "We've searched the entire battlefield, my lord. There's no sign of him."
Aldric's eyes narrowed sharply.
Leonhardt wouldn't just disappear.
Not without reason.
His crimson gaze swept across the battlefield.
He knew his son's strength.
He knew his cunning.
If Leonhardt had vanished, it wasn't because he was taken.
It was because he chose to leave.
Still—
The battlefield was no place for hesitation.
Aldric turned to his knights.
"Call for a temporary retreat," he ordered coldly. "We return to the empire."
The soldiers stiffened.
"My lord—"
"We are done here," Aldric said sharply. "Without my son, there is no reason for this battle to continue."
The knights exchanged uneasy glances.
But no one dared to question him.
After all—Aldric Everhart's words were absolute.
The Emperor's Summon
The moment the imperial forces returned to the capital, a summons arrived immediately.
Leonhardt's disappearance had reached the ears of Emperor Kaelith Von Imperius.
And the emperor was furious.
The imperial palace was in an uproar.
The throne room was filled with nobles, all whispering anxiously.
"The war was in our favor. Why did the Everhart forces retreat?"
"Did something happen to the Grand Duke's heir?"
"The Sun God's army withdrew as well—"
"The Moon Demigod also disappeared! This cannot be a coincidence!"
A tense, suffocating air hung over the room.
The emperor sat upon his throne, his golden eyes flashing with barely restrained fury.
On his right stood Aldric Everhart, his expression stone-cold.
On his left, the Prime Minister, Duke Edmund Reinhardt, spoke first.
"This disappearance—do you believe the enemy has captured him, Your Majesty?"
The emperor's fingers tightened on the armrest of his throne.
"No." His voice was sharp. "Leonhardt would not allow himself to be captured."
A brief silence filled the room.
Then—Duke Reynard Valmont scoffed.
"If he was not captured, then what? Are we to believe he simply abandoned the battlefield?"
The room tensed.
But before the emperor could speak—
Aldric's eyes turned to ice.
And when he spoke—his voice was lethal.
"Choose your next words carefully, Duke Valmont."
A chill spread through the nobles.
Everyone knew—no one insulted an Everhart and walked away unscathed.
Valmont swallowed. But he did not lower his head.
"I do not mean to insult the Grand Duke," he said, voice measured. "But this is a serious matter. The heir to the Everhart Dukedom—the strongest heir in imperial history—has vanished. And yet, you say nothing?"
Aldric's jaw tightened.
For a moment, silence.
Then—
The emperor's voice cut through the room.
"We will find him."
The nobles stiffened.
The emperor's golden eyes burned with authority.
"This empire is built on the power of the Everharts. Leonhardt Valerian Everhart is its future." His voice grew darker. "If he has disappeared—we will bring him back."
The nobles lowered their heads in obedience.
But in the shadows—many were watching carefully.
Because if the heir of Everhart was truly missing…
Then opportunities were beginning to arise.
The Sun God's Church Reacts
Far from the imperial palace, deep within the holy city, the High Priest of the Sun God sat in tense silence.
His fingers tapped against his golden staff.
"…The Moon Demigod has vanished?"
The messenger knelt before him.
"Yes, Your Holiness."
The priest's lips pressed into a thin line.
Aetheria had never disappeared before.
For the past seven years, she had been a shadow of the Sun God's will. A ruler of the night—an enforcer of divine judgment.
And now—she was gone.
The golden flames burning within the temple flickered violently.
A disturbance.
A crack in the divine balance.
The priest exhaled.
"…Summon the Oracles," he ordered.
The messenger hesitated. "Shall we seek the Sun God's guidance?"
"No." The priest's voice was sharp. "The Sun God already knows." His gaze darkened. "The question is—what will He do about it?"