The night then progressed without any further incidents, with Darius departing from our side soon after the commotion ended, to continue his eternal task of further empowering the empire's word in the ears of the gathered rulers, securing our land a brighter future.

And even my brothers left my side at some point wanting to partake in the rare festivities of the centennial Banquet of Concordia; with Cyrus in particular seemingly wanting to quench the unsatiable thirst of his curiosity of the world by meeting all it's people, but like a dehydrated man who keeps drinking sea water to slake his body's basic need, the more Cyrus learned the more interested he became.

Meanwhile Nizam, as always, was more restrained in his actions, briefly talking to those who approached him with a polite demeanour that would not reflect badly on his family or the empire, but a clear line had been drawn with everyone who spoke to him, a limit no one dared push, since none wanted to upset a prince of the Eclipse Empire.

But I kept a very close eye on him, since even though he appeared to be aimlessly swaying from one place to another within the hall, passively allowing himself to be swept from one group to the next, before he expertly glided to the next, I knew my brother more than most; I would even wager to say that after my mother, I was by far the person who could most easily decipher the thoughts of my ever stoic and mature little brother, and what I saw now was him on the prowl, like a sly serpent, skulking agilely across the cracks and crevices of the present people's defences, before seamlessly infiltrating their groups and then leaving again when he did not find what he looking for.

I knew not what he had in mind specifically, but either way I decided to trust him, since he has never once disappointed me, and even if today was to be his first time doing so, I would simply clean it up with little care, for with every failure he would grow stronger and that was a net positive for me, no matter the cost may be.

A few hours later, when the clock was nearing midnight, the opening ball ended and then everyone returned to their specific accommodations they were afforded within the castle, but unlike most who immediately went to greet their old friend the bed and it's twin children sleep and dreams, after a long night of merry making and conspiracy crafting; I instead immediately took out the exquisite chess board gifted to me by the Eleonora and Sophia, before I checked the two pieces they specifically looked at, the black king and the white queen.

But even after a half an hour, the two pieces still did not seem willing to spill any of their secrets to me, as they increasingly looked like they weren't the keepers of any covenants, and were instead just the same as all the others, making me start to question if I had incorrectly seen the clue the two wings of the War Dragon were trying to make me notice.

But then I relieved as I realized that my eyes hadn't betrayed me, and I had instead misinterpreted the meaning of their looks, for the message was not hidden within the pieces, but under them.

I incidentally spied from my peripheral vision as I was scanning the black king for the dozenth time, a small inconsequential looking groove in the square where the king once sat, a groove that could just so happen to be used to lift the piece of wood, and I instantly did, allowing me to see a tiny, hidden piece of bent paper beneath it, which prompted me to swiftly do the same for where the white queen also sat, yielding similar results.

I then quickly unfolded the two cryptic letters, before empowering my eyes with my aura and then reading the only four phrases that could fit on them "We need to talk. It's urgent. If you accept, place a lit candle on the window. One hour after the party."

Though the two perplexing messages were not very clear on much of anything really, barely shedding any light on any of the questions I held and were swiftly growing in number, the gravity of the situation was not lost on me, as I instantly stood up and placed a lit candle near my window, as I called out "Horus."

"Your command sire?" He asked, as he entered the room a second later.

"Is Isaac back yet?" I asked, knowing that Shade Corps Commander was still trying his best to find my Eve.

"Not yet sire, no." He answered with shake of his head.

"Then go order one of the Shade Corps members on standby to quickly go and fetch him, and also go and bring Leonid here as well." I told him, making him tense up for a moment, as he feared that unforeseen trouble or a possible threat, no matter how unlikely that was to be true, might soon appear if I was ordering the strongest of them to assemble.

"Right away, my liege." He replied, before he instantly left to carry out my orders.

"Abraham." I then said my Palace Guard Captain's name, making him instantly appear bowing by my side.

"Yes, sire?" He replied.

"Inform the guards that a guest will be arriving in less than half an hour. Be sure to welcome him properly." I calmly ordered, as I retook my seat in the reception hall, to await my intriguing visitor.

"May I inquire on the identity of the expected guest, sire?" He questioned, his duty compelling him to ask, so that he can better prepare for any unexpected situations.

"It's the War Dragon." I nonchalantly answered, before stressing "But none must know of this, understand?"

"..,Of course, sire." He then nodded, before he too made his way out, though I did notice the hint of unease that now gripped him, for he was no match against Maximillian, and I had no guards with me that can match a tenth rank.

But I didn't hold such concerns, and in all honesty Abraham was worrying himself for no reason, since we've already put the War Dragon's character to the test in the war three years ago, and he was not the type of man to get rid of you under a flag of cordiality.

And as I expected, half an hour later, the door reopened, and in entered four hooded figures, one of whom was being carried in a bridal carry by the largest of the figures, as Isaac, Abraham, Leonid and Darius, who heard of what was happening and rushed over, entered behind them, their eyes warily fixed on them in they dared do one suspicious move, even if they were perfectly aware that they could do very little against such a man when he was by himself, never mind when he was surrounded by his wings.

"I must say Maximillian, I did not expect our next meeting to be like this." I lightly said, trying to ease the intense air that clung to the four of them.

"Neither did I lord of the Eclipse Empire, but I didn't come here today to trade quips." He swiftly said, as he threw off his hood, while his two wives, Eleonora and Sophia, before he continued with a gravity that I had never heard in his voice prior to this, even when we were threatening the other with the annihilation of both our armies to claim victory, in the now infamous Duel of Dragons in the Anazoi Canyon "I'm here to make a deal."

I remained quiet for a moment, as my eyes travelled to the figure still cradled in his arms, and I asked "I'm assuming it has something to do with her?"

Maximillian did not reply, but merely nodded, as he sat down with her still in his lap, and then ever so gently removed the cloth covering her head, showing us Morgana's face, and we all without exception were taken a back, especially Leonid, Abraham and Isaac, who'd faced this woman three years ago in battle and still remembered the terror she was, but now...

Her beautiful face, that was always adorned with either a seductive, confident smile or a detached, cold expression, was now hauntingly gaunt, with sallow cheeks and a complexion so pale you'd think she was already counted amongst the dead if not for the shallow breathes she painfully took every few seconds.

Her once luscious hair was not in any better condition either, as it was now matted and unkempt, with parts of it still soaked by the endless rivers of sweat she was oozing, and even the whites of her eyes weren't spared, as they were tainted with an eerie mix of red and pale yellow.

This was such a departure from the Morgana we knew, that it threw us all into an awkward silence, as we all tried to search through this dying woman's entire being for that same striking valour and vigour she once possessed; but all we could see was a surface level resemblance between the woman we remembered, and this feeble creature who was a mere step away from death's eternal embrace.

And Maximillian seemed to understand the meaning behind their eyes too, as he furiously turned his head to them with undisguised wrath, making them flinch back momentarily in the face of this barely restrained dragon.

"I'll give you two pieces of information Eclipse Emperor, information you will find especially useful in the coming future and in return I want her healed, and I want the ones behind it found!" Maximillian offered without mincing anymore words, his desperation practically palpable at the moment as he held his wife tighter in his arms, almost making her wince in discomfort, but beyond all that I noticed a simmering rage in his eyes that was being constantly fuelled by his fear, and I knew in that moment that if he did not receive a positive answer from me in this moment, then I would most likely live to regret it.