The mountains still groaned from the aftermath of Kaelthar's clash with Duke Ashen Vale. Rivers twisted unnaturally, forests bent and shivered as if alive, and even the winds carried whispers of dread across distant plains. Villagers in the Solvaran Empire clutched their children, their homes rattling, livestock panicking. Fires flared inexplicably in some villages; in others, wells overflowed with black water, a minor curse born from residual progenitor energy.
By the time the four human empires comprehended the devastation, fear had already taken root. Messengers, breathless and trembling, reported lands fractured, forests splintered, and peaks gouged by a power beyond comprehension. Rumors of Kaelthar Voidreign, the progenitor, and his newly-awakened Queen, Lirae of the Scarlet Veil, had spread like wildfire. The Scarlet Court's shadow now loomed across continents, unseen but palpably terrifying.
In Solvaran Empire, Emperor Kael Veynor, aura blazing between Legendary and Mythical, surveyed the chaos from his palace balcony. His golden eyes pierced the distance where mountains had bent and forests burned. "The progenitor moves faster than anticipated," Kael muttered. "Prepare the generals, awaken all border wards. If he reaches our cities unchecked… Aurelia itself may bend beneath him."
Across the seas, Eryndor Empire, Empress Lyra Thane's demigod-level sorcery flared as tremors reached her floating sanctum. Arcane circles shimmered across her tower walls, and elemental wards swirled around the empire's borders. "He moves… and his Court grows. If we do not act swiftly, his shadow will devour everything. Gather every sorcerer. Channel every spell matrix. Let Aurelia see the full power of humans and magic combined."
To the north, Vardal Empire, King Rydan Valehart, demigod-tiered cavalry master, rode the perimeter walls of his cliffside fortress. Even his Legendary aura paled against the tremors rolling from the progenitor's passing. "Mobilize the elite regiments. Let every horse, every archer, every siege engine feel the weight of our wrath. Kaelthar shall know humans are not to be toyed with."
In the Cindral Empire, Admiral Selene Marrow unfurled her massive fleet. Leviathan wards shimmered beneath the water as magical runes ignited along the hulls. "If he touches our coast, the seas themselves will fight for Cindral," she whispered, eyes reflecting the unnerving shadow sweeping across Aurelia.
Beyond humans, other races stirred. Elves of the Silvarien Empire, atop ancient treetop spires, whispered their war chants. Dark elves of Noxshade Dominion melted into shadows, sending assassins and scouts to observe. Demon lords of the Infernal Dominion ignited their pyres of chaos, summoning infernal armies and elemental storms. Dragons of the Dragon Clan Empire lifted from jagged peaks, their colossal wings stirring gale-force winds, their roars echoing across the continents. Minor gods and demigods took note, whispering in concern at the rising power of the progenitor whose presence had already reshaped mountains and rivers.
The ground itself began to rebel. Forests quaked, rivers churned, and coastlines rippled from energies unseen. Animals scattered en masse — deer leapt cliffs, wolves howled in terror, and sea creatures fled to deeper waters as the progenitor's aura stretched across continents. Humans on distant roads clutched wagons, eyes wide, whispering tales of "mountains that scream" and "shadows that devour forests." In towns far from the battlefield, bells rang spontaneously; wells overflowed; the air hummed with static energy that made hair rise on arms and necks.
The first strike was inevitable. Scouts of the Solvaran Empire, sent to observe the progenitor, were obliterated by a mere gesture of Kaelthar's shadow. Trees splintered, soil erupted, and rivers boiled as his aura swept across valleys. Entire villages trembled and shook, their roofs cracked, livestock panicked, and humans fell to the ground instinctively, feeling forces far beyond their comprehension.
Emperor Kael Veynor roared, flaring his aura to Mythical intensity, shaking his throne room. "He dares defy four empires and advances unhindered? Gather every army, every legendary hero, every ancient weapon! Let the Scarlet Court know that humans do not kneel!"
Empress Lyra Thane channeled her demigod-level arcane energy. Arcane towers gleamed across her empire, spell matrices activated, and summoned elementals hovered above cities. "Let every mage, every elemental, every construct awaken. His shadow may stretch wide, but even darkness can be pierced."
King Rydan Valehart summoned cavalry and archers to war banners, their Legendary to Mythical powers amplifying morale. "Let him feel mortal fury… let him know our resolve can strike even a progenitor!"
Admiral Selene Marrow's fleet stirred the oceans with Leviathan wards, magical storms forming along the coast, preparing to meet any incursion. "Sea and storm will meet his shadow."
And across Aurelia, the lands, skies, and oceans themselves reacted. Waves rose unnaturally along coasts; wind currents twisted to mimic the progenitor's path; mountains bent slightly, groaning as if to warn mortals of the coming apocalypse. In distant human towns, merchants whispered of a "lord whose shadow consumes mountains and fire follows his hand." Elves, demons, and dragons reported tremors to their rulers, marveling at a mortal-progenitor's power that challenged even divine attention.
From the shadows, Kaelthar observed it all, crimson eyes glowing. His progenitor aura stretched subtly, harmonizing with Lirae's now fully Master-level aura. "They move wisely… but too slowly," he murmured. "Let them gather their strength and reveal their fear. Only then shall they learn… the Scarlet Court is not legend. It is inevitability."
Lirae's crimson eyes mirrored his. "Shall we remind them, my King?"
"Not yet," Kaelthar replied. "Patience. The hunt begins when they act. Let them show the limits of mortals, and then… we strike."
Across the continents, every empire braced. Soldiers trained, mages chanted, dragons roared, and even minor gods whispered counsel. The Scarlet Court's rise had sounded the clarion for Aurelia itself — a warning that the world was no longer safe for mortals, demons, or even gods.
The stage was set. The first moves had begun. And as night fell, the continents trembled under the anticipation of war. The world had taken notice — and Aurelia would never be the same again.