The Imperial Palace. Hall of the Crimson Sun.
Cassius V sat upon his magnificent throne, his crimson eyes fixed on the ruby crystal that had just gone dark. The report from the spies embedded in Aichenwald had been read. Then read again. Now it lay on the table, every word burning like a brand.
The hall was silent. Far too silent for a place that usually crackled with tension and ambition. Generals, advisors, and mages all stood frozen, watching their Emperor. His face remained impassive, but his fingers gripped the arms of the throne so tightly that the knuckles had turned white.
“Repeat it,” Cassius ordered. His voice was quiet, yet it carried the sharp edge of steel.
The head of intelligence — an old fox with a face carved by countless scars — stepped forward. His voice trembled slightly, but he fought to keep it steady.
“The Keeper has left Aichenwald, Your Majesty. She left a letter. In it, she claims to be the last of an ancient order of Keepers, whose sworn duty is to hold back a threat from beneath the earth. Creatures referred to in the old texts as the Hungry.”
“The Hungry,” Cassius repeated. The word hung in the air, heavy as lead.
“Those are just legends,” a general of the Imperial Legion said sharply. “Children’s tales. It cannot be that—”
“It can,” Cassius cut him off. “We have just learned that the horde we believed unstoppable was shattered by a single woman. That the duchy we expected to fall still stands. That our spies, our schemes, our carefully laid plans — all of it collapsed in a single day. And you dare speak to me of fairy tales?”
The general fell silent.
Violetta stood at the foot of the throne, clutching a copy of the letter that had been handed to her just moments ago. She read it again and again, and with each pass it became harder to breathe.
“My home is not here. My home is where the earth closes over your head.”
“I am the last. The last Keeper.”
“Akley left to fulfill his duty. Now it is my turn.”
“The creatures clawing their way up from beneath the earth know no mercy.”
“Akley…” she whispered. “She spoke of him. In the camp. She said he was her teacher. Her first love.”
Everyone turned to look at her.
“You knew?” Cassius asked. There was something in his voice that Violetta couldn’t quite place. Not anger. Not jealousy. Something else.
“She told me he went into the forest,” Violetta replied. “That he was a Keeper. I thought… I thought it was just a story. A legend to explain her power.”
“And now?”
“Now I don’t know,” she said, lifting her head. Confusion swam in her violet eyes. “She wasn’t lying to me then. I felt it. She was telling the truth. And now… now she’s gone to a place from which no one returns.”
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“Or from which only those who go alone do not return,” Cassius said, his voice growing quieter. “Our spy reports that Randel Aichenwald has gone after her. He left the duchy. He went into the forest. Alone.”
Murmurs spread through the hall once more. Generals exchanged glances. Advisors whispered among themselves.
“The heir abandoned everything?” one of them asked. “For a woman?”
“For the Keeper,” Cassius corrected. “For the one who saved his home. For the one who may now be fighting something we cannot even imagine.”
He rose from the throne, and in the light of the crystal his figure seemed enormous.
“We underestimated her,” he said. “All of us. I most of all. I thought she was a fraud. A player. A woman using old legends to seize power. But she… she was the real thing.”
“Your Majesty,” the head of intelligence began. “If the threat is real, if these… Hungry… truly exist—”
“What?” Cassius turned to him. “What do you suggest? Send an army underground? Find her? Help her?”
“I suggest we learn more,” the spymaster replied. “If the Keeper was telling the truth, if there are records of these creatures, we must find them. We must understand what we’re dealing with. And… perhaps find a way to seal the gates. Without her.”
“Without her,” Cassius repeated. “You suggest we leave her there?”
“I suggest we protect the Empire, Your Majesty,” the spymaster said firmly. “The Keeper left of her own will. It was her choice. Her duty. We cannot risk our people for—”
“Shut your mouth,” Violetta’s voice cracked like a whip.
Everyone turned to her. Violetta stood there, clutching the letter tightly, her eyes burning with intensity.
“You want to abandon her?” she asked, her voice laced with venom. The spymaster instinctively took a step back. “The woman who is risking her life for all of us? The one standing alone against those creatures? The one who taught me…” Her voice cracked and she fell silent for a moment. “She taught me that true strength isn’t about control. That sometimes you can simply… ask. And she left to protect us. All of us. Even those who once called her an enemy.”
“Violetta,” Cassius began.
“No,” she turned to him. “You don’t understand. She isn’t just the Keeper. She’s a person. Someone who was afraid. Someone who doubted. Someone who… was happy. For the first time in a thousand years. And she gave it all up. For us.”
A heavy silence fell over the hall.
“What do you suggest?” Cassius asked.
“I suggest we remember who we are,” Violetta replied. “We are the Empire. We are the ones who built the greatest nation in this world. We do not fear enemies, gods, or darkness. And if there is a threat beneath the earth, we should face it. We should not hide behind one woman’s back.”
“Even if she chose this path herself?” one of the generals asked.
“She chose it because she thought she was alone,” Violetta said, looking at him. “But she is not alone. She has people who remember. People who are grateful. People who… want to repay the debt.”
She turned back to Cassius.
“Send me,” she said. “I will find her. I will help her. Or, if she has already gone to a place from which no one returns… I will seal the gates. With her oath. Or with my own.”
Cassius stared at her for a long moment. A very long moment.
“Do you truly believe this?” he asked.
“I believe in her,” Violetta answered. “And I believe we can be better than we were. Better than we thought we could be.”
He stepped closer to her, his crimson eyes meeting her violet ones.
“You’ve changed,” he said.
“She changed me,” Violetta replied.
Cassius remained silent. His face was unreadable, but inside him two emotions warred — the fear of losing her and the desire to be worthy.
“Very well,” he said at last. “You will go. But not alone.”
He turned to the assembled hall.
“Gather every record about the Hungry. About the Keepers. About the ancient gates. I want to know everything. And prepare a detachment. The best mages. The best warriors. Send them with Violetta…”
“Your Majesty!” the head of intelligence exclaimed. “This is madness! We cannot risk—”
“We can,” Cassius cut him off. “Because if the threat is real, we will have to fight it sooner or later. Better now. Better alongside those who know the way.”
He looked at Violetta.
“You will find her,” he said. “And you will tell her… tell her that the Empire remembers. That we are grateful. That she is not alone.”
Violetta looked at him, tears glistening in her eyes.
“I will,” she replied. “I promise.”