The Emperor did not answer him, leaving his adviser confused and uneasy.
At that very moment, a shadowed figure stood hidden in the corridor — someone eavesdropping on the conversation, though no one sensed his presence. It was certain, however, that he had heard everything.
Later, in front of the northern gates, the soldiers finally reached the site of the collapse — and what they saw was beyond belief.
The once-green land had turned pitch black.
Dark, strangely shaped clouds hovered above the area, and cracks tore through the ground — not the marks of an earthquake, but something else.
The borders of the land itself seemed to have vanished.
As for the soldiers buried beneath the ruins — it was clear that none of them had survived.
Standing there were Captain of the Royal Guard, Dwayne Sparkos, and his aide, Hill Barko.
> Hill: "Sir, what do you make of this? This can't be natural… I feel uneasy, especially about those clouds."
Dwayne (gravely, from atop his horse): "This is no coincidence — the clouds, the collapse, and especially this northern region… Something is being woven in the shadows. Something unlike anything we've seen before."
The soldiers began searching desperately for any clue that might explain the cause of the collapse.
Meanwhile, in Kazbona Village, around midnight, someone knocked on Frank's door.
It was Dags.
Frank let him in, and the two sat inside the nearly empty house — a small fire crackled in the hearth, its faint light flickering against the dark, barren walls. The only sounds were the breaking of the wood and the whistling of the wind.
> Dags: "Do you really plan to leave? I saw your axe buried in the middle of the village square… does that mean it's the end?"
Frank looked at him, both men knowing deep down that this was the end of Frank's time in the village.
Frank (his voice heavy and burdened): "Whether today or tomorrow, it makes no difference. Even if I linger here, I can't change what's written for me. I must face it all. Leave the axe where it is — I'll take it back someday, if I ever return."
Dags left Frank's house, and Frank sat staring silently into the flames.
At dawn, he departed alone.
As he reached the village outskirts, a young woman called out to him.
It was Diana, Dags' daughter, known as the village's herbal healer.
> Diana: "Father says you must return to the council. There's an important decree you have to see."
Frank hadn't expected two messages from the Empire in a single day — and that alone made him uneasy.
That morning, in the village council hall, all members gathered again — Frank and Diana among them.
The decree read:
> "Anyone opposing the previous imperial edict concerning the tax increase shall be imprisoned or executed, depending on the degree of defiance. All are to obey for the good of the Empire."
The strange part was how the Empire had learned that the council opposed the decree at all.
Frank's instincts screamed: there was a traitor among them — but not of the usual kind.
Tira and the rest of the council flew into a rage, shouting and arguing, not knowing what to do.
> Dags: "Just as Frank said — we are now in a prison without bars."
Everyone fell silent, lost and terrified.
Suddenly, Frank stood up, tense and uneasy, and left the council hall.
After a short distance, he heard Dags call out behind him:
> Dags: "Where are you going, leaving us behind? You have to help us find a way!"
Frank stayed silent for a moment, hesitating. Then he finally spoke:
"In all my life, I've never heard of two messengers from the Empire coming to the same village in one day. Doesn't that seem strange to you? And how did they even know we wanted to challenge their decree? How?"
Dags: "What are you saying? You mean there's a traitor among us? But how could that be?"
Frank: "That's the problem… it's hard to believe. The journey from the village to the Empire takes two weeks on horseback — so how could they have known in just one day?"