Chapter 262: Enemies from the West, Spirits from Above

Both women turned their heads toward the approaching scouts, whose ashen faces told thousands of words without either Rosalia or Agnia needing to ask what they had witnessed.

Rainwater continued dripping from the men’s hair and clothing, gathering beneath their boots as they stumbled across the crystal floor. Neither of them appeared wounded, yet their bodies trembled more violently than those of soldiers returning from battle.

"The Imperial Court Empire... they..." One of the scouts attempted to report, but his voice caught inside his throat as he looked between the two women.

His knees finally buckled beneath him.

The scout dropped heavily onto the floor, barely managing to catch himself with both hands before his face struck the crystal. His companion instinctively reached toward him, but the violent trembling of his own fingers made it clear that he was barely able to remain standing.

Agnia slowly leaned forward upon her throne. Her expression remained calm, but one of her hands had already tightened around the armrest.

"How many are there?" she asked.

The standing scout opened his mouth, yet several seconds passed before an answer emerged.

"We do not know."

Agnia’s fingers tightened further. "You returned without even estimating their numbers?"

"We saw them entering the lands of the former Fire Dragon Kingdom from the west. There were soldiers everywhere, more than either of us had ever seen gathered in one place, but we..." The scout glanced toward his companion upon the floor before lowering his head in shame. "We returned immediately."

Rosalia continued watching him without revealing what she thought of the answer.

"Did you see who was leading them or what kinds of forces they brought?" she asked, her quiet voice carrying across the throne room.

"No, Queen Rosalia." The man’s breathing became even more unsteady as he lowered his head further. "We only saw the Imperial Court banners and the army behind them. The trees concealed most of their formation, and after realizing how many had entered the rainforest, we believed that Blackspire needed to be warned immediately."

The scouts had brought news of an approaching army, but nothing that could help Rosalia and Agnia prepare for it. Neither woman knew how many enemies were coming, how quickly they were advancing, or how much time remained before they reached the city.

Agnia gently bit her lower lip as she tried to remain composed. The action lasted for only a moment before she noticed several guards watching from beside the entrance and forced herself to stop.

Rosalia appeared calmer, but the slight trembling within her silver eyes revealed that the report had affected her just as deeply. She lowered her gaze toward the scout still kneeling upon the floor, then slowly rose from her throne.

"Thank you for returning with the warning. You may leave now," she said.

The standing scout finally raised his head.

"But Queen Rosalia, the enemy is already inside our lands. There were so many of them that the entire rainforest appeared to move beneath their armor. If they continue toward Blackspire, we may not have enough time to..."

Rosalia lifted one hand and stopped him from speaking any further.

"I understand that an army belonging to the Imperial Court Empire has entered Voidstar. Unfortunately, that is the only useful information you brought back."

The man’s mouth remained open, but no words followed.

"Instructions concerning what happens next will soon be delivered throughout the kingdom," Rosalia continued, her voice remaining calm despite the pressure growing inside her chest. "As for the two of you, if your knees are already buckling after looking at the enemy from a distance, perhaps you should find a large leaf and hide beneath it until the fighting ends."

She no longer looked at either scout as she turned toward Agnia.

Both women understood the danger approaching Blackspire, yet allowing their fear to become visible would accomplish nothing except spread it to everyone watching them. The guards standing near the doors would carry everything they witnessed into the citadel, and from there, frightened whispers would reach the soldiers stationed along the walls before eventually spreading throughout the city.

By nightfall, an army of unknown size could become several million within the mouths of terrified people.

The scouts lowered their heads until their chins nearly touched their chests. Their fear slowly mixed with humiliation, causing color to return to their previously pale faces.

"Y-yes, Queen Rosalia..." the kneeling man answered as he forced himself back onto his feet.

His companion helped him stand properly, and neither of them dared look toward Rosalia again as they retreated from the throne room. Their knees still trembled, yet both men forced their backs straight and controlled their breathing before passing the guards stationed outside.

The enormous doors closed behind them.

Rosalia waited until their footsteps disappeared before releasing the breath she had been holding. Her expression remained calm, but her fingers had tightened so deeply into her palm that her nails left four pale marks behind.

"They found the army and fled before learning anything about it," Agnia said, keeping her voice low enough that it would not travel beyond the throne room.

"They were afraid," Rosalia replied as she looked toward the closed doors. "Unfortunately, their fear has left us nearly blind."

Agnia rose from her throne and approached her, but neither woman wasted time discussing what they still did not know.

Rosalia turned toward the guards remaining inside the throne room.

"Send out new scouts and make certain they understand that we need more than frightened guesses. I want to know how far the enemy has traveled, how quickly they are moving, and everything they can discover without being seen."

The guards immediately lowered their heads.

"And nobody outside this room is to repeat anything about the size of the army," Agnia added, her voice becoming firm again. "We do not even know how many enemies are coming, and I will not allow guesses to become panic before we learn the truth."

"Summon the five heads to the council chamber as well," Rosalia continued before the guards could leave. "Tell them that the Imperial Court Empire has entered Voidstar and that we will begin preparing for their arrival immediately."

The guards rushed from the throne room to carry out their orders.

Once they departed, Agnia looked toward the empty throne between them. The dark crystal reflected the light entering through the windows, but without Maximus sitting upon it, the entire throne room felt strangely incomplete.

"Where could he have gone?" she asked, finally voicing the question neither of them had been able to answer.

Rosalia slowly shook her head. "I don’t know. I have thought about every place he could have gone, but none of them explain why he left without telling either of us."

"He has done that before," Agnia said as she approached the throne. "He leaves whenever he decides something must be handled alone, then returns after nearly getting himself killed."

"Perhaps, but this time nobody knows where he went or why," Rosalia replied, the uneasiness within her voice becoming more difficult to conceal. "He knew something was wrong with him. He may have discovered a way to fix it and believed we would try to stop him."

"Or someone forced him to leave," Agnia said as her hand instinctively moved toward her stomach.

Neither possibility brought them comfort. Without knowing where Maximus had gone, they could not send anyone after him, and every hour that passed made his absence more difficult to ignore.

A sudden multicolored brilliance erupted behind the crystal windows.

Rosalia spun toward the light as purple ice spread across her arms, while blue flames exploded around Agnia and rolled over the nearby thrones. The windows began trembling as waves of radiance poured across the citadel, causing the crystals Max had created to resonate violently in response.

Both women rushed toward the windows and stared outside.

The sky above Blackspire had disappeared beneath hundreds of thousands of women, surrounded by light of different colors. Their bodies appeared pale and exhausted, while many struggled to remain in the air, yet they continued gathering above the city until their brilliance stretched beyond its walls.

Rosalia pushed open the crystal windows as purple ice gathered around her hands.

"Who are you, and what do you want with Voidstar?" She demanded, refusing to lower her guard even when the women raised their empty hands.

Saelunith moved ahead of the gathering. "We have not come as your enemies. The Imperial Court Empire is approaching, and we have come to help Voidstar fight."

Rosalia’s eyes narrowed. An unknown army had appeared directly above Blackspire moments after they learned of another approaching from the west, and she had no reason to trust a single word spoken by its leader.

Before she could order the city’s defenses to attack, Agnia grabbed her arm.

"Wait. I recognize them," she said as memories of the Arbiter returned. "These are the spirit women who helped Maximus save me."

Outside, the exhausted spirits descended toward Blackspire.