Chapter 50: The Shadow Lord's Departure
The harbor stretched before him like a promise of violence made manifest, its waters black as midnight beneath the pre-dawn sky. Forty-seven warships rode at anchor in formations that spoke of military precision and unlimited resources, their hulls gleaming with magical reinforcements that could deflect cannon fire and turn aside the most sophisticated naval magic. Each vessel flew the silver shadow of House Nox, but these weren't the modest coastal patrol ships his ancestors had maintained. These were instruments of conquest, designed to carry war across oceans and challenge powers that had never faced serious external threats.
Elaric stood on the flagship's quarterdeck, shadow magic coiling around him like living armor as he surveyed the fleet that represented two years of systematic empire-building. Every plank had been purchased with wealth stripped from conquered houses. Every cannon had been forged with metal torn from fallen estates. Ever
