When Alexa gathered what little remained of her mental strength, she barely managed to rise to her feet.
She looked at Iris with resolute eyes.
"Use healing magic. This might be an attack."
Iris nodded in agreement.
Now, only one mission remained for her—to make sure Ethios was safe. Or more precisely, to discover the truth about him.
Ethios had been at the very center of the explosion. His chances of survival were almost nonexistent.
Alexa rushed out of the infirmary, racing through the corridors at lightning speed. She had to protect her only son.
The palace corridors were nearly destroyed—windows shattered, walls cracked, and the ornate wooden carvings that once symbolized the revered family were burned.
Breathing was nearly impossible as the halls were filled with smoke and ash.
But none of it mattered. She had to save Ethios. And even if he was dead, she had to find him. His body contained countless secrets forbidden throughout the entire world.
Dust and smoke scattered as Alexa pierced through the corridors with her speed.
When she reached the royal wing and forced open the door, she saw hell.
Half of the wing had been completely obliterated by the mysterious blast, torn away from the palace itself. The chamber now opened directly to the sky, with a gaping void like the mouth of a cavern.
But there—she found what she was looking for.
Ethios's body.
He lay only a few meters from the destroyed section of the chamber, his small form sprawled across the shattered floor, covered head to toe in ash and dust.
Alexa dropped to her knees beside him, gathering his tiny frame into her arms. With trembling fingers, she gently felt for a pulse at his neck.
He was still alive.
No serious wounds. No broken bones. It was nothing short of a miracle.
Ethios's eyes slowly fluttered open, meeting the terrified face of his mother above him.
"Mother…"
Overwhelmed with relief, Alexa's heart overflowed with joy.
"Ethios… don't worry. We'll be fine."
She lifted him into her arms and hurried back the way she had come.
She returned to the throne hall—it had to be empty now.
At the great doors, she set him down inside and spoke firmly.
"Ethios. Stay here. Do not leave this hall. I will come back for you."
Before Ethios could even process what was happening, Alexa sealed the doors shut with a magical sigil.
He was trapped in the throne room, unaware of the calamity unfolding around him.
Now Alexa had to uncover the truth. The explosion could not have happened without cause. Determined, she ascended to the rooftop to see it for herself.
When she emerged, she realized she wasn't alone. Many pure-blood nobles and lords of the court had gathered there as well. Iris stood among them, his wounds fully healed, as if nothing had happened, gazing over the horizon.
Alexa stepped forward and stood beside him. But when her eyes lifted to the scene before them, her breath caught in shock.
There—before them—were three massive demonic gates, torn open from the underworld.
The underworld was a parallel realm beneath the land of the Akimo people. But it was far deadlier. Much, much deadlier…
It was, in truth, hell itself. A realm utterly unfit for life, crawling with the most terrifying beasts and horrors imaginable, and plagued by natural disasters tens of times stronger than anything in the world above.
And yet… so little was known of it. For any who entered never returned.
Countless brave warriors had lost their lives exploring it, until the Akimo clans unanimously abandoned expeditions into that cursed realm. Everything they knew came from the handful of expeditions their ancestors had miraculously survived.
And now—three gates had been torn open, linking the underworld directly to the realm of the Akimo.
A single gate was enough to plunge an entire continent into a state of emergency. But three gates, at once, in one place? A catastrophe beyond comprehension.
Destroying them was practically impossible for all the united clans together—let alone the Siren Clan alone.
Alexa's breath trembled as she muttered under her breath:
"Damn it…"
She turned back to the assembled ministers, generals, and commanders of every rank, then shouted with a voice that pierced their very chests:
"Prepare yourselves! This will not be a mere battle… this is total war!"
The nobles and soldiers immediately dispersed to take their positions. There was no time to waste.
Only Alexa and Iris remained on the rooftop.
"How can this even be?" Iris muttered with suspicion. "The gates to the underworld are extremely rare to open. And now three of them, at the same time, in the same place?"
Alexa nodded grimly. She understood what he was implying.
This was no accident. This was orchestrated—by the Alliance.
Her voice was weary, but firm.
"Each beast from the underworld requires five of our warriors just to wound it. In a matter of minutes, three armies will march out of those gates."
Iris added gravely:
"Should we summon the other clans of the Union?"
Alexa's expression hardened.
"It will take them a full day to reach us. By then, it will be far too late."
She paused, thinking, then added:
"But they must still be called. Even if we lose the capital, we cannot afford to lose our entire continent."
Iris gave a firm nod.
The capital of the Siren Clan, naturally, was where the royal palace stood.
It was an enormous city, built in a perfect circle with a diameter of fifty kilometers. At its center lay another circle, five kilometers wide.
The royal palace stood at the heart of this inner circle, surrounded by lush green gardens.
The outer circle held the common folk's homes, markets, and all of the city's strategic sites.
Mountains surrounded the capital on all sides. And within their midst… the gates had torn themselves open.
Meanwhile, the army, the city guard, and even the royal knights readied themselves for the coming clash.
Civilians were evacuated underground into vast shelters for protection.
Now, the streets were deserted except for soldiers, all prepared to die for their city.
Alexa stood at the edge of the rooftop and invoked a spell to amplify her voice so all within the capital could hear her. It was a spell well known among the Akimo, often used by commanders to rouse their troops.
And now, in the capital of the Siren Clan—Meralis—her voice reached every corner.
Commanders, soldiers, civilians… even Ethios.
All of them heard her words. Her voice was majestic, and it set every heart ablaze.
"I am Alexa Tedrosi, bearer of pure blood and sovereign of the Siren Clan. I vowed to protect my people, even if it costs me every drop of my blood. And I remain bound to that vow.
Today, I call upon all of you. Today, our clan will carve yet another miracle into history. And we will overcome this threat.
Soldiers of Siren, the beasts of the underworld will be the most dreadful things your eyes have ever seen. They will devour your comrades before you. They will feast on your brothers-in-arms."
She paused for a heartbeat, then roared with all her might:
"Will you flee? Will you allow these monsters to reach your parents and your children? Will you allow them to wipe out your people?
I remain bound to my vow. Will you betray yours?"
The capital itself shook with the thunderous cry that answered her—from soldiers, generals, and even civilians hidden underground.
"Long live the clan! Long live the Union!"
Then silence. A silence thick with dread and anticipation.
Until the screech of the gates split the air, a shriek that shattered the sky.
Gales burst forth from the portals, ripping trees from their roots, shattering houses into rubble.
Shards of stone and glass rained across the army.
Even Alexa and Iris were forced to shield their faces as the violent winds whipped their silver hair and tore at their cloaks.
The time had come.
The armies of the underworld had arrived.