Kai sighed softly, his eyes trained on the body of his wife. She floated inside a shimmering emerald bubble, her arms and tail stretched out, black hair fanned around her like an ethereal halo. Her face was calm, almost serene, but that only deepened his anxiety.

Morgan had assured him not to worry, explaining that it was a protective state—a way for the host to shield itself from any possible attack while in spiritual communion. Still, Kai had positioned guards all around the coliseum. No one, not even the most trusted servants, were allowed near her without his explicit permission.

"Brother," a familiar voice said behind him, followed by the warm weight of a hand on his shoulder. "You should rest. You haven't slept in two days."

Kai glanced over his shoulder at his red-haired brother, Atlantis. "How can I rest?" he murmured. "My wife is in there, connected to the other realms. Vulnerable." His voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. "I can't protect her there."

"That's not the only reason you're so tense, is it?" Atlantis's gaze was sharp, cutting through his brother's resolve like a blade.

Kai's jaw tightened as he ran his hand through his dark hair, guilt flickering in his eyes. "I may have... lashed out at her before she entered that state." He let out a breath through his nose. "It wasn't fair. I was frustrated, and she—she didn't deserve it."

Atlantis's eyes softened. "Ren understands. She's stronger than you think, brother. She's probably already forgiven you. Knowing her, she's already thinking about how to make you feel better."

Kai's shoulders slumped in defeat. "I have to make it up to her somehow," he muttered, an idea beginning to spark in his mind. His eyes lit up with sudden energy. "When she awakens, I'll bring her something from the human realm. Something she's missed."

"Actually," Atlantis interjected, his gaze shifting with hesitation, "she might want something else entirely."

Kai's brows furrowed. "What do you mean? Is there something I should know?"

Atlantis's face flushed with color, his golden eyes darting away. "Well... Morgan and I—we wanted to tell you, but you've been in such a foul mood lately that we weren't sure when was the right time. Ren doesn't even know herself yet. Not even with her cravings for strange foods and—"

"Brother, you're rambling. Out with it." Kai's voice was edged with urgency now.

Atlantis's lips parted before he blurted, "Ren is expecting your offspring." He slapped a hand over his mouth, his golden eyes wide with regret.

Kai's mind went blank. For a moment, all he could hear was the dull thud of his heartbeat in his ears. "She's... expecting?" His voice was barely a whisper. "Ren is... pregnant with my child?" The words tasted foreign but powerful on his tongue. His breath quickened as realization dawned. "The baby, my wife... she's been in there—" Panic surged as he whirled on Morgan, who was standing nearby. "She's been in there with no food! She's carrying our heir! She needs to—"

"That's why we didn't tell you," Morgan's smooth voice interrupted, his sharp eyes calm but firm. He stepped forward with his arms crossed. "Ren is fine, and so is the baby. The goddess is aware. This state strengthens her connection, not weakens it."

Kai's breathing slowed, his brows drawn in confusion. "How? How does that—"

Morgan glanced at the emerald sphere where Ren floated in stillness. "The Emerald Stone represents hope, future, balance, and successful love. The goddess within Ren embodies love, fertility, and war. Those forces have intertwined to produce a child created from a love as strong as yours. She's safe, I assure you."

Kai's lips pressed into a tight line. "This is all starting to get confusing."

"You can always start on that nursery," Atlantis suggested with a cheeky grin. "Ren will be very happy to see that."

Kai took a deep breath, exhaustion seeping into his bones. "You're right. But... I'll take a nap first." He let out a breathy chuckle, his shoulders relaxing as he left the coliseum with Atlantis's laughter trailing after him.

*****

He buried his nose into her neck, taking in her feminine scent while his hand hovered protectively above the little spark of life inside his future wife. They had spent the past two days in preparations for their wedding. An extra room had been added for their little nursery—a tender space for the merchild that was on its way in a few months' time.

"My sweet love," he murmured softly, placing a kiss on her bare shoulder. He continued to watch her, mesmerized by his love's beauty and gentle strength.

A distant, resonant gong echoed through the city, a deep, thunderous note that clawed at the air. The sound gripped Destan's heart with icy fingers, his breath caught mid-sigh. His muscles tensed as an instinctive chill rippled down his spine.

"What is that?" Aceso whispered, her eyes darting around, wide with alarm. Her voice trembled, barely above a breath.

"Nothing, love. Come with me, I need to take you somewhere," he said, his voice calm but taut, as if forcing himself to sound steady. He gripped her wrist, his fingers pressing more firmly than usual. Urgency crackled in his every move as he pulled her toward the hallway. Around them, guards and servants rushed past, their faces tight with fear. Children's cries echoed faintly from distant corridors, and elders were herded below with quick, quiet efficiency.

Destan's eyes locked on his most trusted guard. His gaze was sharp as steel, his words sharp as daggers. "Take her below. Make sure she stays there. No one gets in. No one."

The guard nodded, his jaw tight. He gently reached for Aceso's arm. Her eyes brimmed with confusion and rising panic.

"Destan!" she gasped, twisting toward him. Her eyes searched his face, her breath shallow and quick. "What's going on? Please! Tell me!"

He cupped her face for a fleeting moment, pressing his lips against hers with a ferocity she'd never felt before. It tasted like goodbye. "Just go with him, love. I'll find you later. I promise," he said, his voice cracking as he turned away, already moving toward the entrance hall—toward the source of the gong. Toward the unknown terror that now lingered like a storm on the horizon.

**********

Caspian watched with predatory delight as the soldiers of the Diamond Kingdom scrambled into position. Their hurried movements were sharp and frantic, like a school of fish caught in a sudden current. His grin curled into a jagged line, his eyes glinting like obsidian shards beneath the pale glow of distant lanterns.

His army—a seething mass clothed in the shadows of the deep—moved in unison. Their approach was a silent tide, tendrils of darkness creeping toward the kingdom's heart. His chest swelled with triumph, every beat of his heart drumming with cruel satisfaction.

"They're afraid," he murmured, tasting the shift in the current. "They should be."

With a slow, deliberate breath, he let his body shift. His flesh rippled like water, his skin hardening into sleek, jagged scales as his fingers sharpened into claws. His pupils narrowed to slits, piercing the darkness with perfect clarity. Every movement felt stronger, sharper—lethal.

"Distract the soldiers," he ordered one of his generals, his voice now guttural and cold. "Draw them away from the palace gates. I'll go where the light dares not tread."

The general's eyes gleamed with dark intent as he saluted and disappeared with his commanders, leaving Caspian alone with the roiling silence of the depths. A flicker—a flash of something long buried—surfaced in his mind. A soft light. A memory that pressed against the darkness like the glow of a distant lantern. His chest tightened.

But he crushed it.

He crushed it as easily as snuffing out a flame. There was no room for light. Not here. Not now.

He moved like a shadow, his form flickering as he slipped through cracks in the palace walls, his approach silent as death.

*********

Elric's fingers hovered over the vial hanging from his neck, the cold glass pressed against his chest like an iron brand. The liquid inside shimmered with an otherworldly glow—a constant reminder of the pact he had made long ago. Every promise, every deal, every price paid in blood had led to this moment. But cracks had begun to form. His carefully laid plans felt like glass under pressure, splintering from unseen forces.

"Sorcerer Elric," a general's voice pulled him back to the present. "The Onyx Army is ready to attack."

Elric's lips curled into a grim line as he released the vial. Darkness unfurled within him, coiling around his heart like a serpent. The hum of ancient power echoed in his mind, filling every crevice of thought with whispers of hunger and promise.

His hands rose slowly, fingers splayed wide as tendrils of darkness spiraled from his palms like living smoke. He spoke words not meant for mortal tongues, his voice laced with cold authority.

"Obscurent eum tenebrae nocte animam tuam repetunt. Dirige viam tuam, et in interitum, et in lucem tandem exstinguere scintillam," he intoned, each word thrumming with energy.

The six soldiers before him shuddered, their bodies twisting with sharp cracks and sickening pops. Their faces elongated, their eyes now hollow pits of abyssal black. Their limbs snapped into grotesque shapes, their once-human silhouettes now warped into dark fae warriors cloaked in shadow. They hissed in unison, their pale faces framed by writhing tendrils of night.

"Go," Elric ordered, his voice like the creak of a distant door in a forgotten crypt.

The creatures vanished in an instant, slithering through walls, their hollow eyes filled with a hunger that could never be sated.

Elric's gaze shifted to the army before him. Rows of soldiers watched in tense silence, their grips tightening on weapons that suddenly felt much too light. He turned his back to them, his eyes fixed on the horizon, where the Emerald Kingdom's lights flickered like fireflies in the dark.

"Attack," he said softly, his voice carrying across the ranks like a curse. The word dripped with inevitability.

The soldiers roared, their war cries filled with rage. Their charge was thunderous, the water vibrating around them as they surged forward. Elric's eyes remained fixed on the horizon, where the distant glow of the Emerald Kingdom's lights faltered—a single flicker, like a candle's flame gasping for air.