CHAPTER TEN — CONCLAVE OF THE TWELVE
Snow fell endlessly across the Sanctum of Radiance, the colossal holy capital of the Radiant Church.
Beyond the northern mountains—far past the reach of most kingdoms—stood a megastructure of marble and celestial gold. Towers climbed into the sky like frozen pillars of sunlight. Bridges arched between spiraling sanctuaries. Choirs sang hymns that echoed across the entire valley.
A cathedral larger than cities dominated the center.
Inside, a circular chamber of pure white stone glowed with inner light. A table of polished crystal sat at its heart, engraved with the sigils of the Twelve Orders of Radiance.
Here, the strongest rulers of the Church gathered.
Inquisitor Generals.
Cardinals.
Archbishops.
The High Crusade Commander.
The Divine Executor.
The Arcanum Chancellor.
And at the head of the table, seated beneath a massive stained-glass mural of the Radiant God…
The Saintess.
She was sixteen.
Snow-haired.
Eyes shimmering gold.
Wearing a simple white gown and a veil of woven light.
She did not look powerful.
But the room bowed anyway.
And their fear was real.
THE MEETING BEGINSCardinal Aurion, eldest of the Twelve, slammed his cane on the crystalline floor.
"THIS is unacceptable! Our tithes have fallen across three kingdoms! Trade is collapsing! Our coffers are bleeding!"
He glared around the table.
"This cannot be mere coincidence!"
Archbishop Chrysa, slender and sharp-eyed, adjusted her shimmering robes.
"In the Frost Kingdom, a bandit army has formed in the northern ranges. They strike only at our supply lines and tribute routes."
"This is rebellion!" snapped General Vael, commander of the Radiant Inquisition. "We will exterminate them."
"Exterminate?" scoffed High Crusade Commander Drogan, a towering man with silver armor. "You've been 'exterminating' them for six months. All you've done is lose caravans."
Murmurs rippled across the room.
Aurion pointed to another file.
"And in the Sun Dynasty—our most profitable region—our relic vault was emptied."
Chrysa shivered.
"That… vault was never breached in four hundred years…"
"Yet it is empty now," Aurion hissed. "Every artifact. Every gold bar. Every divine relic."
A younger cardinal spoke nervously.
"W-We still don't know how they got inside. The wards… didn't even trigger…"
Commander Drogan leaned back, eyes narrowing.
"And the Azure Sun Merchant Guild has grown too powerful in too short a time."
"Suspicious," Chrysa said. "Very suspicious."
"Coincidence!" Aurion barked.
"Is it?" muttered Chancellor Halver. "Northern bandits targeting only our caravans. Merchant guilds cutting off our influence in the south. Pirate fleets in the west sinking only our ships. Dwarves refusing our trade contracts for the first time in history. Hidden assassinations of our informants. Nobles turning against our decrees."
He placed a stack of reports on the table.
"It is too coordinated."
Silence.
A cold, creeping silence.
THE SAINTESS SPEAKSThe Saintess slowly lifted her gaze.
"Something… dark… moves in the world."
Her voice was soft, chilling, echoing faintly with divine resonance.
All twelve leaders fell silent.
"What do you sense, Lady Seraphiel?" Aurion asked.
The Saintess closed her eyes.
"Shadows… spreading across kingdoms. Bloodline shifts. Echoes of ancient power. Something older than this world."
Her fingers trembled.
"The light recoils… when I reach toward the east."
"The east?" Chrysa frowned. "Which kingdom?"
The Saintess whispered:
"Valtarus."
The temperature in the room dropped.
General Vael cursed.
"That tiny kingdom? Insignificant! What threat could come from them?"
The Saintess didn't blink.
"Death."
THE INCIDENT REPORTSChancellor Halver stepped forward.
"Let us review each case."
He opened the first scroll.
1. FROST KINGDOM — THE BLACK PINE LEGIONA bandit force has grown into a disciplined army.
Their tactics mirror trained military precision.
They target Church caravans exclusively.
They leave merchant routes untouched.
They operate like they have a master strategist.
General Vael scoffed.
"Bandits. Nothing more."
Chrysa shook her head.
"Bandits don't grow into armies in months."
Commander Drogan muttered:
"Unless someone gave them training…"
Aurion glared.
"Coincidence."
2. SUN DYNASTY — THE ECONOMIC SHIFTHalver opened the next scroll.
"Azure Sun Merchant Guild has expanded 270% in six months."
Aurion almost choked.
"That is impossible—!"
"They've cut us off from valuable territories," Halver continued. "Someone is guiding them. Someone who understands economics, politics, and fear."
Chrysa added:
"And someone who clearly targeted our tithing routes."
Drogan slammed a fist on the table.
"We should have crushed them before they grew!"
Vael leaned forward.
"Let me send Inquisitors disguised as trade ambassadors. They will root out whoever is behind this."
The Saintess frowned.
"There is a presence in that guild. Something… ancient… but veiled."
The Twelve shifted uncomfortably.
3. WESTERN ISLES — THE BLACK TIDE FLEETHalver unrolled a map.
"Church fleets have lost thirty-seven ships in six months."
Drogan snarled.
"Pirates."
"Not normal pirates," Halver said. "These vessels outrun and outgun hunter fleets. They strike only our ships and slaver vessels, then vanish."
Chrysa frowned.
"Who commands a fleet like that?"
Drogan's jaw tightened.
"A ghost."
The Saintess whispered:
"A shadow."
4. DWARVEN UNION — THE IRON BREAKERSAurion trembled with outrage.
"The dwarves REFUSED to renew our contracts!"
Chrysa added, voice almost frightened:
"And one of their major cities… Grimdural…"
Halver finished:
"…has proclaimed a foreigner their King of the Forge."
The entire chamber erupted.
"A foreigner?!"
"SACRILEGE!"
"Dwarves do not bow to outsiders!"
"This must be a lie!"
Drogan snapped:
"Who is he?"
Halver's eyes shifted toward the Saintess.
She whispered:
"Someone who forges in shadow… and walks with blood."
5. ASSASSINS — THE NIGHTBORNHalver dropped another scroll.
"We have lost over a hundred informants. Priests. Agents. Quietly. Cleanly."
Vael cursed under his breath.
"No blade. No poison. No trace. They simply vanish."
Chrysa whispered:
"This is coordinated."
Halver nodded.
"Trained assassins. Dozens of them. Across nations."
Vael muttered:
"Impossible."
The Saintess shook her head slowly.
"No. It is not."
THE SAINTESS'S DECLARATIONThe room fell into a trembling silence as she stood.
Her golden eyes glowed brighter.
"Someone is pulling every thread. Bandits. Merchants. Dwarves. Pirates. Assassins. All of it."
Chrysa swallowed.
"A mastermind?"
"A ruler," Drogan corrected.
"A tyrant," Aurion hissed.
"A demon," Vael snapped.
The Saintess answered softly:
"A Primordial."
A cold silence seized the chamber.
Halver went pale.
"That… that's impossible. Primordials died eons ago—"
The Saintess's voice was a whisper of doom.
"Not all."
They stared at her, horrified.
She continued:
"Something awakened six months ago. Something the gods themselves once feared. And it is moving across the continent like a silent plague."
Vael's fists clenched.
"Then we purge it."
Drogan agreed.
"We will not allow a Primordial to grow."
Chrysa nodded slowly.
"Agreed. The gods demand obedience. This must not continue."
Aurion raised a trembling hand.
"The kingdom of Valtarus… this is where the new darkness is rising?"
"Yes," the Saintess whispered. "It sits at the center of the storm."
THE CHURCH'S DECISIONDrogan slammed his hand on the table.
"THEN LET THEM BURN."
Vael stood.
"I will send the First Inquisition. Five hundred elite Holy Knights. A thousand Paladins."
Halver added:
"And we will accompany them with four thousand Crusaders for "training exercises.""
Chrysa smirked coldly.
"Then we tell the surrounding kingdoms that we are hunting demons."
Aurion added:
"And cleansing corruption."
Drogan snarled:
"And subjugating Valtarus for their 'safety.'"
Vael smiled thinly.
"And once the kingdom bows, we will install a governor loyal to the Church."
Halver added:
"And we will arrest their royal family."
Chrysa finished:
"And execute the one responsible for this… shadow plague."
The Saintess slowly raised her hand.
Everyone quieted instantly.
Her eyes were distant.
"Be cautious," she whispered. "This darkness is not easy prey."
Vael scoffed.
"Darkness cannot stand before the light."
The Saintess whispered:
"This one can."
But they didn't listen.
Aurion raised the final decree.
"By the will of the Radiant God, we declare—"
He paused.
His voice rose.
"…WAR upon the Kingdom of Valtarus."
The crystal table pulsed with holy light as the decree etched itself across its surface.
The Church's armies would march.
The world would tremble.
And they had no idea…
That they were marching toward the jaws of a Primordial.