The king's heart raced with fury as he stormed through the corridors of the palace, his robes billowing behind him like dark clouds in a tempest. His mind was consumed with thoughts of Elyria, of the child, and of the recklessness of Queen Adessia. How dare she send her to such a perilous place, knowing she carried a child, who might end up being the child of the prophecy?
He reached the throne room, his anger burning hotter with each step. The air around him crackled with tension, the storm outside mirroring the storm within his heart.
"Bring Queen Adessia to me!" His voice rang through the corridors, sharp and commanding.
Within moments, the doors of the throne room swung open, and Queen Adessia was brought before him, her eyes downcast in fearful submission. She had never seen the king so enraged, and her knees trembled beneath her. The flickering lights cast shadows over her face, making her appear even smaller in comparison to the towering figure of the king.
When she lifted her gaze to meet his, her heart nearly stopped. His eyes were like burning coals, filled with such fury that even the wind outside seemed to hesitate in its ferocity.
"Why did you send for me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, her breath hitching in her throat.
"Where is Elyria?" The king's voice was low, dangerous, his words cutting through the silence like a blade.
Queen Adessia's face drained of colour. She grew speechless, unable to form a single word. Panic rose in her chest as she stammered, her mind failing her in this moment of reckoning. The king's stare bore down on her like an unrelenting force, and in that instant, she could feel her knees begin to give way.
"Answer me!" the king screamed, his voice a thunderous roar that seemed to shake the very foundation of the palace.
Adessia gasped, nearly stumbling as her voice faltered. She could feel the weight of his wrath pressing down on her. "I… I sent her to get me the Moonstar Fruit from the Crescent Expanse…"
The king's eyes widened, his breath catching in his chest. He could not believe what he was hearing. "What?!" he roared, stepping forward, his rage bubbling over.
Before she could even blink, his hand shot up. A surge of raw power emanated from him, a violent force of magic that wrapped around Queen Adessia's neck, lifting her from the ground. Her feet dangled helplessly in the air, and her hands instinctively reached for her throat. The pressure was suffocating, choking the breath from her.
"How dare you?" The king's voice was a growl, cold and furious. "Don't you know that she is pregnant?"
Queen Adessia struggled to breathe, her face turning purple as she gasped for air. "Please… I... I didn't mean to….."
His fury burned hotter still. "Pray to the Creators that nothing happens to her, Adessia. If I lose either her or the child, your entire clan will be wiped from existence!"
With a flick of his wrist, he flung her aside with such force that she crashed against the cold marble floor. She lay there, gasping, her throat aching as she tried to draw in a breath. The king's magic had nearly suffocated her.
As she tried to rise, her eyes locked with his. He was towering over her, every muscle in his body tensed in fury. "You have jeopardized everything," he spat. "Everything! Do you not understand the weight of what you've done? The storm outside, the signs… they all point to one thing. Elyria is the key, and you have cast her out into the wilds of the Crescent Expanse, knowing the dangers that lie there."
The storm outside raged louder, as if responding to the king's wrath. Thunder crashed with such ferocity that it shook the walls. The wind howled through the cracks in the palace, and the rain came down in torrents, slashing against the stone like an army of vengeful spirits. The sky was alive, dark and roiling, full of ominous flashes of lightning that lit up the night like daggers in the heavens. The very earth seemed to tremble in response to the king's fury.
"You will pray, Adessia," the king's voice was like ice now, cutting through the cacophony of the storm. "You will pray that Elyria returns unharmed, and that this prophecy is not shattered by your foolishness."
The queen lay trembling before him, utterly crushed beneath the weight of his rage and the unimaginable consequences of her actions.
The king turned, his eyes burning with determination. He had no time to waste. If Elyria truly was the one destined to bring forth the child of prophecy, he could not afford to lose her, especially not in a place as treacherous as the Crescent Expanse.
He stormed from the throne room, the sounds of his fury reverberating through the corridors. The storm outside had reached its peak, the wind howling and the thunder crashing like a terrible, divine judgment.
As he moved through the palace, he could feel the eyes of his court upon him, the whispers rising as his fury consumed him.
"Elyria…" he muttered, his voice tight with fear and hope.
**********
In a dimly lit room, five figures cloaked in shadow gathered around a table, their faces obscured by the darkness. The air in the room was heavy with anticipation, as the atmosphere seemed to hum with a power that none of them fully understood, yet all of them feared. Candles flickered in the corners, casting long shadows that seemed to stretch and writhe, mirroring the tension in the air.
One of the figures, a tall and lean presence, spoke first, his voice low and steady but laced with urgency. "The signs are here. It is time. The child... the child of the prophecy is to be born today."
The others nodded, their faces still hidden but their eyes glinting with a mix of greed and dread. The moment they had been waiting for had arrived, but with it, a great risk. If they failed, the repercussions would be unimaginable.
"We need to find the location," a woman's voice broke through the stillness, sharp and calculating. "The child must be found and brought to us before the king or anyone else can interfere. The child must be turned to the Dark Way, as foretold."
Another figure, more muscular and grizzled, slammed a fist onto the table, his voice full of impatience. "The child will wield unimaginable power, a power that will serve us. We can bend him to our will, but we must act now, before it's too late."
The leader of the group, a figure cloaked in the deepest shadow, raised a hand, silencing the others. "We cannot afford failure," the leader said, their voice cold and commanding. "We have waited too long for this moment. The prophecy must be fulfilled, or we will be destroyed."
The room fell silent for a moment as the weight of their mission settled upon them. They all knew the risks, but they were prepared. The Dark Way would grant them dominion over all, and the child would be the key to their victory.
"Send the tracking cloud," the leader ordered, their voice laced with authority. "Find the child and bring him to us."
A figure, standing at a strange contraption near the far wall, nodded. They began the ritual, chanting in a low, ancient tongue that vibrated through the walls. A swirling mist began to form above the table, coalescing into a cloud that shimmered with an eerie light. It floated in mid-air, ready to obey their command.
But as the cloud reached out, a deep unease settled in. The mist began to swirl erratically, its glow flickering like a dying flame. The cloud shimmered but did not move.
The woman who had spoken earlier leaned forward, her brow furrowed. "What's happening?" she demanded. "Why isn't it responding?"
The man standing near the contraption reached for the controls, his hands trembling slightly. He muttered under his breath as he tried again, but the cloud refused to move. "It's like… something is blocking it," he said, his voice edged with concern. "There's a force, something powerful, keeping it from finding its target."
The leader's eyes narrowed, the shadowy figure silent for a moment. "This is no coincidence. Someone is protecting the child. Someone who knows the prophecy."
A thick silence enveloped the room, the realization settling like a heavy weight. The dark forces that had been gathering, waiting for this moment, now found themselves at odds with an unknown power that was thwarting their efforts.
"Try again," the leader snapped, their voice cutting through the tension. "We cannot fail. Not now."
The chant began anew, the air thick with power as the group attempted to track the child once more. But the cloud resisted, swirling in circles, growing unstable as if something was keeping it at bay.
"Who is doing this?" the muscular figure growled, his patience wearing thin.
The leader's expression hardened. "We will find out soon enough. But we cannot afford to waste any more time. The storm is growing. If we do not act now, we may lose the child forever."
As the chant continued, the dark forces in the room prepared for whatever it would take to bring the child under their control.