[Unknown Desert Region Beyond Zahryssar — Before Dawn]

The storm had not ended; it only grew colder and more merciless. Across the endless black desert. Lyresaph continued running through mud, rain, and darkness. Massive silver claws tearing across soaked lands violently, blue dragon eyes glowing sharply beneath flashes of lightning.

And upon his back, Levin struggled harder to remain conscious; his soaked robes clung heavily against his trembling body, his breathing had become dangerously uneven, and every sharp movement of Lyresaph’s sprint sent pain twisting through his stomach repeatedly.

Still, he refused to let go because behind him Zahryssar still existed.

And high above the storm, Iru suddenly descended lower through the rain, his wings beating violently against the wind, and then his voice almost disappeared beneath thunder.

"Malika—! There are torches ahead!"

Immediately Lyresaph slowed slightly, growling lowly and dangerously. Far ahead through the storm, tiny lights flickered across the desert darkness, moving, searching. red Knights and not just a few dozen.

Because now the entire empire hunted the escaped Malika openly.

Meanwhile, Levin slowly forced himself to lift his head afterward, exhausted blue eyes narrowing faintly toward the distant lights.

"...they spread faster than I expected." His voice sounded weak now, painfully weak.

Iru looked down toward him worriedly. "Malika...you are bleeding."

Immediately Levin froze, and then slowly he lowered his gaze; rainwater had hidden it earlier, but now thin streaks of blood were visible beneath the soaked robes covering his legs.

The atmosphere instantly turned terrifying. Lyresaph growled sharply, agitated and protective because the imperial beast immediately sensed Levin weakening further.

Then suddenly Levin pressed one trembling hand harder against his stomach, trying desperately to steady his breathing as a sharp pain twisted through him again afterward.

"...the child...AH—!"

His body nearly slipped sideways from Lyresaph’s back entirely. Immediately, Iru descended lower desperately.

"MALIKA!"

And far behind them, the sounds of serpent hissing suddenly echoed through the storm again, closer now...much closer.

The Red Knights had found their trail. Lyresaph’s blue eyes sharpened instantly afterward, then suddenly—

ROOOOOOOOARRRRR!!!

The massive dragon accelerated violently again, mud exploded beneath his claws, rainwater crashed endlessly against his scales, and through darkness the beast ran harder than before.

Because now even Lyresaph understood, Levin’s body was reaching its limit; his blue dragon eyes sharpened dangerously afterward.

Then suddenly—

ROOOOOOOOOOOOARRRRRRR!!!

And high above the storm Iru desperately searched the endless darkness ahead, his wings cutting violently through the rain.

Then suddenly his eyes widened.

"There—!"

Immediately Lyresaph lifted his massive head slightly. Far ahead through the fading storm, small golden lights flickered weakly within the darkness.

A village, tiny, distant, and unknown.

And yet right now it looked like salvation itself. Iru’s voice trembled desperately afterward.

"There is a village ahead!" The eagle flew lower immediately, rainwater streaming heavily from his wings.

"We can seek help there!"

Then, softly, almost like a prayer breaking from his chest, he whispered toward the heavens as lightning flashed weakly above the skies and his voice cracked painfully. "Bless the Malika... Please, Lord Urzan...please protect him."

And upon Lyresaph’s back, everything had already begun blurring for Levin: the storm, the darkness, and the pain.

His breathing weakened further; his trembling hand slowly slipped from Lyresaph’s silver scales and then—

SLUMP.

Levin collapsed completely against the dragon’s back, unconscious. Immediately, Lyresaph roared sharply afterward, panicked, and the dragon ran faster.

Faster.

FASTER.

Because now there was no more time.

***

[Unknown Village — Later]

Far...far away from Zahryssar, the storm finally began weakening. Rainfall softened gradually, and thunder faded into distant skies, and beneath the dark night, a small isolated village rested silently beside endless desert lands.

Tiny lanterns glowed warmly beneath clay rooftops; children ran through muddy streets, and villagers prepared for the beginning of the day.

Peaceful, simple, and unaware of the nightmare approaching them.

Then suddenly the ground trembled.

THUD.

THUD.

THUD.

One small child paused near the village well, blinking nervously. "...mother?"

The trembling grew louder afterward.

Closer.

Closer.

And then from the darkness beyond the village entrance a gigantic silver dragon emerged.

ROOOOOOOOARRRRRR!!!

The child screamed instantly.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Within seconds the peaceful village exploded into panic; doors slammed open violently, and villagers rushed outside. Women grabbed children desperately, and several men immediately unsheathed old swords and farming spears.

"MONSTER—!"

"Protect the children!"

"BACK AWAY!"

Meanwhile, Lyresaph stopped near the village center heavily, his massive body trembling from exhaustion as his eyes glowed desperately.

And within his jaws Asha still remained carefully protected; above them Iru descended violently from the skies afterward, his huge eagle wings spreading across the village shadows.

And that only worsened the panic.

"IT HAS ANOTHER BEAST WITH IT—!"

"WE NEED TO SAVE OURSELVES—!"

Several villagers raised swords shakily toward them, terrified and unprepared but before anyone could attack—

SWISSSSHHHHH!!!

Iru transformed instantly into human form, falling directly to both knees before the frightened villagers.

"PLEASE—!" His voice echoed desperately across the silent village. "Please..."

Iru bowed lower, rainwater dripping endlessly from his hair. "...save our Malika."

The villagers froze instantly, and then one elderly villager stepped slightly forward afterward, sword still trembling within his hand.

"...Malika?"

Then finally they noticed it, a figure lying unconscious upon the dragon’s back, human, pale, and blood flowing beneath him.

One trembling hand is still protectively resting against a swollen stomach even while unconscious. Silence swallowed the village completely afterward.

Because suddenly the beasts no longer looked like monsters; they looked desperate, and the rain finally stopped completely.

And beneath the quiet dawn skies far away from Zahryssar, a fallen Malika finally arrived somewhere the empire could not immediately reach.

***

[Road Toward Thalryn—Before Dawn—Same Time]

The storm had finally weakened, but the fear inside Duke Aren Veyrhold only worsened with every passing moment. A massive black carriage continued moving rapidly across the muddy northern roads.

The silver crest of House Veyrhold glimmered faintly beneath fading lightning, and inside the carriage, silence felt unbearably heavy.

Across from Duke Aren Raviel and Zyvera looked absolutely miserable, both soaked completely, both exhausted beyond reason, and both still shivering faintly after surviving a death river, imperial pursuit, and an entire night beneath the storm.

Zyvera sat wrapped inside a blanket while glaring murderously toward Raviel as she pointed weakly toward him.

"This...is entirely your fault."

Raviel leaned lazily against the carriage wall afterward, wet hair pushed carelessly behind his ear. "I distinctly remember you following me willingly."

"I followed because abandoning you would emotionally damage Mother."

"That is touching."

"That was not a compliment."

And despite the ridiculous conversation happening before him, Duke Aren barely heard any of it because his thoughts remained somewhere else entirely with Levin.

His fingers clenched tightly over the edge of his gloves afterward.

"...he escaped toward another direction..." The northern duke lowered his gaze heavily, his voice quieter and more frightened now. "...and now I do not even know where my son is."

Silence filled the carriage afterward. Even Raviel stopped smiling because beneath all the sarcasm and shamelessness, he understood the situation had become terrifying.

Raviel sighed softly before finally speaking: "...wherever the Malika is...at least he is not beside that stupid silver-eyed emperor anymore."

Immediately Zyvera snorted as she adjusted the blanket around herself dramatically. "Gosh...that prince truly looked like a ghost."

Raviel looked offended afterward.

"I agree." He placed one hand proudly over his chest. "I look significantly better than him."

"That is because you spend more time admiring mirrors than fighting."

"That is called maintaining beauty."

Despite himself, even Duke Aren almost looked close to reacting, almost, but then the worry returned immediately afterward, stronger and heavier because somewhere beyond the deserts—

Levin was alone.

Pregnant, exhausted, and hunted.

And Duke Aren suddenly realized something horrifying: he could not even protect his own child anymore.

The carriage wheels rolled heavily through muddy roads, and finally Duke Aren spoke again quietly.

"I have to find my son." The words sounded less like a statement and more like a father desperately trying to hold himself together.

Raviel’s playful expression slowly faded afterward. "...the Malika will not come toward Thalryn."

Immediately Duke Aren looked toward him sharply. "...what?"

Raviel crossed his arms slowly, his eyes unusually serious now. "Malika fears Slyvarakh will attack Thalryn if he returns home."

The atmosphere inside the carriage darkened instantly.

"He knows Thalryn is still rebuilding its military strength." Rainwater slid slowly across the carriage windows. "And right now...the Malika would rather disappear himself than become the reason of his own kingdom burns."

Silence, long and painful.

Duke Aren slowly closed his eyes afterward because that answer sounded exactly like Levin.

Too self-sacrificing, too willing to carry pain alone, and somehow—that frightened him even more.

Outside the storm clouds slowly continued moving across the endless northern skies. While somewhere far beyond roads, borders, and empires, the missing Malika of Zahryssar vanished deeper into the unknown, breaking apart silently.

***

[Silthara Palace — Malika’s Private Residency — The Morning]

The residency no longer looked like a home. It looked like the aftermath of war, with broken marble pillars cracked across the floors. Shattered glass still glittered beneath the palace lanterns.

Black mourning curtains hung torn from the ceilings, and the scent of blood and rotten silver pheromones still poisoned the air heavily.

Captain Varesh stepped silently into the destroyed residency; his boots echoed heavily against broken marble, and then he saw them.

The attendants were dragged violently through the palace corridors by Red Knights. Some crying, some begging and some too terrified to even speak anymore.

"These ones served inside Malika’s chamber!"

"Move faster!"

"Prepare the execution grounds before the afternoon!"

Several attendants collapsed while being dragged forward desperately.

"PLEASE—!"

"We did nothing wrong—!"

"We only served the Malika—!"

Varesh’s entire body stiffened afterward, his hand tightening painfully around the sword hanging beside his waist. So tightly, his knuckles turned pale.

Because right now he truly wanted to kill someone; he wanted to destroy the madness swallowing Zahryssar itself.

Then suddenly a calm voice echoed behind him.

"I hope..." High Mage Arkhazunn slowly stepped into the ruined corridor afterward, dark robes dragging silently across shattered floors. "...you are not considering something reckless, Captain."

Varesh did not even look toward him; his eyes remained fixed upon the terrified attendants being dragged away.

Then quietly and dangerously he answered, "And what if a reckless decision could save innocents?"

Silence spread heavily afterward. Arkhazunn slowly glanced toward the execution procession disappearing through the palace halls.

Then finally he spoke: "It may save these innocents...but destroy the future of Zahryssar entirely. so wait until the right time."

Varesh finally turned sharply afterward, anger burning openly inside his eyes now.

"And when exactly is this ’right time’ you continue speaking about?" His voice lowered afterward, more frustrated and more exhausted.

"The Malika has disappeared..." His hand tightened harder against his sword. "The Malik remains missing...and the heir has not even been born yet."

The storm outside roared louder.

"I no longer know what kind of future Zahryssar will witness before this ’right time’ finally arrives."

Silence, heavy and ancient.

Then finally High Mage Arkhazunn lifted his gaze slowly toward the storm-covered heavens beyond the broken palace windows. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

And quietly, almost like a prophecy whispered toward the empire itself, he said, "Zahryssar will witness...the true form of its Malik, whom they called ’The True Emperor.’"

Varesh froze completely afterward, and Arkhazunn’s expression darkened faintly as his gaze slowly lowered toward the destroyed residency.

"This...is the karma of an empire that celebrated his return too blindly." Outside another scream echoed from the execution grounds, but Arkhazunn continued calmly:

"Let Zahryssar witness the consequences of its own worship."

The storm winds crashed violently through the broken halls, candles flickered dangerously, and somewhere far away Levin was fighting for a life while the empire was still calling him its consort.

inside the ruined residency Arkhazunn closed his eyes briefly before murmuring one final sentence:

"Lord Urzan does not remain angry with his children forever..." His eyes slowly opened again, cold and certain. "...but before forgiveness comes...judgment always arrives first."

And beneath the storm-darkened palace of Silthara fear finally began spreading through Zahryssar itself.

Not fear of enemies, not fear of war but fear of the ruler sitting upon its throne.