The negotiation tent was thick with the smell of ink, sweat, and resentment.
Outside, Imperial and Royal troops watched each other from opposite sides of the camp. They were no longer fighting, but neither side trusted the other.
Inside, two men who had spent months trying to destroy each other sat face to face.
Emperor Ferrussi sat with his back straight, although the exhaustion of the campaign was visible on his face. Beside him was Naira, still carrying the tension of the battlefield in her shoulders.
Across from them sat King Felipe Erkhan.
He had aged during the war.
Scribes were reviewing the final clauses of the ceasefire when Ferrussi spoke casually.
—King Felipe...
Felipe raised his eyes.
—How is my daughter Alessia?
Silence fell over the table.
Naira lowered her eyes slightly.
Alessia.
The Imperial concubine who had been sent to the Kingdom years ago.
She had not been sent merely to accompany the king.
Her presence had served a much greater purpose.
To become the link between the two bloodlines.
And her son, born of Imperial and Royal blood, could one day have claimed the throne.
It had been a plan designed to save bloodshed.
If the Kingdom's heir died and Alessia's son ascended the throne, the Empire would have gained political control without having to conquer every city.
But that plan had failed.
And Ferrussi had been forced to resort to war.
Felipe answered calmly.
—She is fine.
He paused briefly.
—Thank you for asking about my wife, Your Majesty.
Ferrussi closed his eyes for a moment.
—Good.
That was all.
There were no accusations.
No argument.
Both men knew that plan belonged to the past.
Then...
BOOM!
The glasses trembled on the table.
Naira raised her head.
BOOM!
Another impact.
Stronger this time.
The curtains moved even though the doors were closed.
Felipe slowly stood.
—What was that?
No one answered.
A third impact shook the entire structure.
It was not artillery.
It was not magic.
It was something much larger.
Ferrussi narrowed his eyes.
—Naira.
—Yes, Father.
—Do you feel it?
She nodded.
The mana.
It had changed.
This was not simply a fluctuation.
It was as if an enormous amount of energy were moving beneath the earth.
Felipe looked toward the entrance.
—This has nothing to do with the war.
Ferrussi remained silent.
For the first time since the campaign had begun, neither of them was thinking about their armies.
Three hours later, the Imperial camp was in chaos.
Messengers rushed in and out.
Riders arrived covered in mud.
Mages argued around maps that had already ceased to make sense.
Reports from different regions arrived almost simultaneously.
Stampedes.
Migrations.
Abandoned forests.
Creatures moving toward inhabited areas.
Then a man appeared at the entrance of the tent.
He was a Delta.
One of the most respected mana researchers in the Empire.
Now he could barely stand.
His robes were covered in mud.
Dried blood stained his face.
His hands were trembling.
—My lord...
Ferrussi raised his eyes.
—Speak.
The mage fell to his knees.
—It isn't happening only here.
Naira straightened.
—What do you mean?
The man took a deep breath.
—It's happening everywhere.
Ferrussi said nothing.
—We've received reports from the northern, eastern, and southern provinces.
The mage spread several documents across the table.
—The creatures are abandoning their territories.
—Rural cities are being evacuated.
—Trade routes are disappearing.
—And the mana...
The man swallowed.
—The mana is increasing.
Felipe stepped closer to the documents.
—By how much?
—We cannot determine that yet.
The mage pointed to one of the maps.
—But it is happening simultaneously.
Naira frowned.
—Simultaneously?
—Yes, Your Highness.
The mage raised his eyes.
—Areas that have had low mana levels for centuries are beginning to change.
Ferrussi remained still.
This was important.
Very important.
—Explain.
The mage took a deep breath.
—Humans survive because our cities were built in areas with relatively low concentrations of mana.
He pointed to the map.
—Places with high concentrations of mana belong to the creatures. Deep forests. Mountains. Wild plains. Regions where humans can barely establish settlements.
Felipe understood first.
—We live in places they don't need.
—Exactly.
The mage nodded.
—But if the mana level increases...
Naira finished the sentence.
—The creatures will be able to live where we do.
The mage lowered his head.
—And they will have no reason to stay away from the cities.
The silence was absolute.
Ferrussi picked up one of the reports.
—How long?
The mage hesitated.
—We don't know.
—Give me an estimate.
—If the increase continues...
The man closed his eyes.
—In less than ten years, many of the regions currently inhabited by humans could become uninhabitable.
Naira paled.
—Ten years?
—That is an optimistic estimate.
Ferrussi slowly placed the report back on the table.
He did not look frightened.
He looked as though he were calculating.
Felipe watched him.
—Then the war...
Ferrussi raised his eyes.
—No longer matters.
Naira looked at him in surprise.
The Emperor continued.
—We can conquer this Kingdom.
He pointed to the map.
—We can destroy its armies.
—We can take its cities.
He paused.
—But if the world continues changing...
His fingers tightened around the edge of the table.
—What will we gain?
No one answered.
Ferrussi looked toward the entrance of the tent.
Outside, soldiers from both armies were beginning to raise barriers together.
Not because they had forgiven each other.
Not because there was peace.
Because they faced a problem neither side could solve alone.
—I have studied this Kingdom for years —Ferrussi finally said.
Naira raised her eyes.
—I knew its armies. Its nobles. Its resources. Its cities.
His expression hardened.
—I believed that sooner or later, everything could be reduced to numbers.
Felipe remained silent.
Ferrussi looked back at the reports.
—I was wrong.
That statement made Naira look at him in genuine surprise.
Her father rarely admitted a mistake.
Ferrussi picked up another document.
—This is not a war.
—It is not an invasion.
—It is not even an enemy.
He looked at Felipe.
—It is a change in the rules.
Felipe held his gaze.
For several seconds, neither man spoke.
Finally, the king asked:
—And what do you propose?
Ferrussi answered without hesitation.
—First, we end this war.
Naira frowned.
—End it?
—Yes.
Ferrussi pointed to the map.
—There is no point continuing to spend men here when we need to prepare for what is coming.
Felipe remained thoughtful.
He did not trust Ferrussi.
He probably never would again.
But he could not deny reality either.
The war had been important.
Now it was secondary.
Ferrussi sat back down.
—The Kingdom and the Empire will remain enemies.
Felipe slowly nodded.
—But we can stop killing each other for a few days.
—No.
Ferrussi shook his head.
—For much longer than a few days.
Naira raised her eyes.
The Emperor spoke with absolute seriousness.
—Until we understand what is happening.
No one celebrated.
There were no handshakes.
No speeches.
Only two rulers sitting before a map that no longer represented a world they understood.
Outside, the bells began ringing again.
One after another.
Each toll announced another report.
Another city.
Another stampede.
Another region where the mana was changing.
And while the scribes continued working, Naira looked through the opening of the tent.
In the distance, Imperial and Royal soldiers were raising a barrier together.
They were not allies.
Not yet.
But for the first time, both armies had the same problem.
And neither knew how to stop it.