The guards let Caesar in. His gold armor radiated across the v., the pressure from every step felt by its inhabitants as he walked towards the table where the map of Kiera lay sprawled.
"Have we confirmed the plan?" His voice was a low rumble, devoid of patience. He addressed the entity whose form shimmered behind a shifting array of refracted light, a face lost to glare and illusion. "I do not want this useless distraction to hinder our preparation for what comes,"
"Yes," the entity replied with a voice like fallen ash. "Brontide teeth are resistant to the Mist's decay. He will pass as Fleshborn. The Cryiom will mask the true color." The entity pointed towards a slender, bone-white device on the table—a crafted jaw-piece.
"Good." Caesar turned, the light catching the hard lines of his face. "Luthor, I know this is… sudden. But you fit the criteria uniquely." Caesar said.
The man named Luthor bowed, his posture impeccable. "Not at all, Your Majesty. It is an honor to serve."
"Alright then, Altair." Caesar's gaze shifted to the opposite side of the table, where his wife, Altair, sat. Her alabaster face, resting on one hand. "You are awfully quiet. Out with it."
"What is there to say?" She lowered her hand to the polished cillin wood, the sound a soft, final tap. "We chase phantoms. A backwater kingdom of Fleshborn and a fanatical cult, while the trumpets of the Holy King's War beat at our gates. Our strength should be consolidated, not splintered on… pointless investigations." She took a deep breath, the only concession to her frustration. "But alas, my council will fall to deaf ears."
"I understand your disapproval, but you mistake scale for threat, my love." Caesar's finger stabbed the map, landing on the usurper kingdoms. "A kingdom of mere Fleshborn has managed to usurp three nations surrounding them, and their exploits with the help of that cult have grown more aggressive. Such unpredictable nature cannot be overlooked simply because they're not at our borders yet."
"Sure, but I simply want to make sure you're not distracted." Her expression remained unconvinced, but a sliver of pragmatic acceptance showed. "But yes, they could become a potentially troublesome threat, so it's better we know what we're getting into."
"Exactly. Now you see," Caesar said, though his tone suggested the argument was merely shelved, not settled.
The moment was severed by the entrance of a royal guard meeting only Caesar and Altair seated at the table…unknown to the guard two figures were hidden behind a veil of refracted light.. The man bowed deeply, his silver armor creaking.
"Your Sovereignties, apologies. The Council convenes urgently. Word from Nosuke: The Hourglass has emptied."
A profound silence filled the room. Caesar and Altair exchanged a look that carried the weight of centuries
"Tell them we are on our way," Caesar said, his voice now stripped of all prior debate, pure command returning.
"As you wish," the guard replied
"Speaking of war..." As the door closed, Caesar stood. "We're done here. See that you leave unseen. If this cult has penetrated three nations, assume their eyes are even here."
The light-shrouded entity and Luthor gave silent nods. As Caesar and Altair moved to the door.
***
The trumpets sounded for the first time in a thousand years—the signal for the Holy King's War to begin.