The rebellion on the borders had grown more volatile with each passing day. Whispers of insurrection echoed through the Empire's outer regions, and tensions simmered between the provinces. The Empire's military leaders had drawn up plans to send troops, but the Emperor had been hesitant—reluctant to send his forces into an uncertain conflict. He feared that a prolonged war would drain the Empire's resources and strength, destabilizing his rule.
Simone had been observing the situation with growing irritation. The debates in the war room seemed trivial to him. The generals' bickering over strategy, the Emperor's hesitation—it was all beneath him. The time for action had long since passed. These rebels needed to be dealt with swiftly and decisively.
As he sat at the head of the table, listening to the strategists discuss the next moves, Simone's patience wore thin. He didn't need to be there, listening to them. He could end this rebellion in an instant, without wasting time or resources. His powers of Darkness had become far more than just shadows—he could feel the darkness creeping across the land, suffocating the rebellious forces from afar.
His mind was a storm, calculating every move in an instant, as the power pulsed within him. The rebellion's leaders were nothing more than ants to be crushed under his heel. Without a word, he stood up from the table, his cold gaze sweeping over the assembled officers. They didn't understand what he was capable of.
"Enough," Simone said, his voice cutting through the noise like a blade. "I'll handle this."
The Emperor's eyes narrowed, as though instinctively knowing what his son was about to do. "Simone, wait—"
But it was too late. Simone had already reached out with his mind, and the room fell silent as the temperature seemed to drop. Shadows coiled around his fingertips, and the air became thick, charged with the energy of his power.
He was beyond the need for a formal military response. The rebellion had no place in his Empire, and he would remove it with a single sweep. His darkness reached out like tendrils across the land, finding the leaders of the insurrection in their hidden camps, their planning rooms. He could feel their every movement, their every breath, as though they were right in front of him.
With a mere thought, the rebels were consumed by the very darkness that had been his curse and his gift. It wasn't slow—it was merciless, suffocating, and final. Simone didn't need to see them or touch them. The darkness enveloped them in an instant, erasing their existence, as though they had never been.
From a distance, the world felt the shift. The chaos that had threatened to spill over into the Empire was vanquished in moments. News would come in the hours that followed, detailing the fall of the rebellion. The leaders were dead, and the resistance had crumbled. No one would ever know how it had been done, only that it was finished.
Simone stood in the war room, his face a mask of cold indifference. The generals were speechless. The Emperor, too, was silent, his expression twisted in fear and disbelief.
Simone turned his back to them, the shadows dissipating as he returned to his seat. He didn't care about their opinions. He didn't care about the praise or the questions. The rebellion was over, and the Empire's strength remained unchallenged.
"What of the war effort?" one of the generals asked, his voice trembling.
Simone's gaze flickered briefly to the map, his mind calculating again. "The rebellion is over," he said simply. "No resources need to be wasted. The Empire is safe."
His voice held no warmth, no pride in his decision. It was as though he had simply dealt with an inconvenience, and now it was done.
The Emperor stood frozen for a moment before he spoke, his voice shaking with a mix of awe and fear. "You… You ended it all yourself."
Simone didn't respond. The Emperor was beginning to realize the full scope of his son's power, but he didn't know how to confront it. Simone had surpassed him in every way, and now, his darkness had become a weapon that could destroy the Empire's enemies from afar without lifting a finger.
The Emperor's heart raced as he processed the consequences. Simone had not only saved the Empire money, he had prevented a drawn-out war, but at what cost? The Emperor was no longer in control of his son, and that terrified him. The power Simone wielded could bring peace—or devastation—and he wasn't sure which one his son would choose.
As the meeting adjourned, the Emperor lingered for a moment, watching Simone leave the room, his back straight, his expression unreadable. Simone was a force beyond his control, and the Emperor couldn't help but wonder if he had made a grave mistake in pushing his son to this point. The boy who had once been weak, naive, and unsure of himself had become a ruler in his own right—one whose decisions, powers, and intellect eclipsed even the Emperor's.
Simone was no longer the crown prince he had envisioned. He was something darker, something more dangerous. And that, above all else, was what terrified the Emperor.