October – December, Space Era Year 104.
Within the Central Palace of Berlyn, capital of the Centory Empire, winter fell in a silence deeper than any in living memory.Artificial snow drifted beneath the dome of controlled air, gleaming silver under the cold lunar glow, while the faint hum of a respirator echoed like the slow heartbeat of time itself.
Upon the medical bed lay Lord Aelyzabeth von Thors — once the most radiant and unyielding figure of the Empire.Now her body had withered, pale as parchment. Her right eye was veiled beneath bandages, the left dimmed to near blindness. Only the rhythmic pulse of the monitor reminded the world that she still breathed.
She had long suffered from terminal leukemia and a chronic respiratory collapse.Few knew the truth — only her private physicians and the High Regent, General Aelaera von Escheinsen.
Yet even as her body failed, Aelyzabeth continued her duties without pause — through holocom transmissions and dictated reports.To the public, she merely said:
"I am resting from a minor illness. The Empire must not waver because of my weakness."
In November, she issued a decree:Aerys Vilozyver, her twelve-year-old son, would act as Regent of State, guided by General Aelaera.
Despite his youth, Aerys possessed a calm intelligence that silenced the doubts of the entire council.His presence in the Senate was sharp and measured — the reflection of his mother at sixteen.
25th December, Space Era Year 104 — National Day of Centory.
The chamber was quiet, lit only by the golden shimmer of an artificial pine tree.Aerys stood before the Council and delivered his speech. His tone — serene, resolute, deliberate — carried the weight of his lineage.
That night, General Aelaera reported to her Lord through the holographic screen:
"Alisu... your son has done exceptionally. He commanded the session with wisdom beyond his years. I have never seen such poise in a child."
Aelyzabeth's laughter was soft, broken by a cough.
"I knew he would. Aerys… is my final hope."
She summoned her son to her bedside.In the dim amber light, she reached to touch his face, though she could no longer see it.
"You will continue to govern until my sight returns, my dear Aerys."
He hesitated, then asked quietly —
"And… your cancer, Mother?"
Aelyzabeth smiled faintly.
"I will not treat it. I would rather die with my dignity intact than live hairless and hollow from chemicals. Let me fade with honor, not despair."
Aerys bowed his head, saying nothing. His eyes mirrored both understanding and pain — the inheritance of every Thors.
1st January, Space Era Year 105.
The Lord of Centory was now blind.In her private chamber, she listened each day to Aerys' reports — the affairs of state, the economy, the movements of fleets.
"Mother, the Council has approved the new economic sector.""Well done… You have exceeded my every expectation."
Her trembling hand reached for his, fragile yet firm.
"Aerys… you are ready. When the time comes, you shall bear the mantle of Lord of Centory."
He remained silent — not in pride, but in quiet resignation. To him, leadership was not glory, only burden.
And so, amid the soft hiss of machines and the faint breath of a fading sovereign,the winter of that year bore witness to the last light of the woman who built an empire from nothing.
She smiled — though she could no longer see the stars she once ruled.
"Because even in blindness, I still see the dawn of Centory."— Aelyzabeth von Thors.
Thus ends Chapter C-XXIV