เข้าสู่ระบบValerie didn't answer right away. She slowly turned her head, her icy silver eyes looking past Marcus's extended hand, past the rows of golden tanks, and down into the lower valley.The imperial searchlights shifted, cutting through the swirling snow to light up the main path leading to the fortress gates. Valerie's heart sank.Thousands of innocent Ironclaw civilians were being marched through the frozen mud in long, miserable lines. These weren't soldiers or politicians. They were the ordinary people of the northern territory bakery owners, young mothers, elderly scholars, and frightened children. Their wrists were bound together by heavy imperial energy chains that hummed with a cruel, yellow light. Imperial soldiers walked alongside them, shoving them forward with the butts of their rifles whenever someone slipped on the ice.They were freezing, terrified, and completely defenseless. They were being gathered like cattle, ready to be branded as property of the Solar Crest Empire.M
Marcus stepped up the final marble stair. His heavy white cape brushed against the snow, stopping just two feet away from Valerie. He completely ignored Silas, who was gasping for air on the ground, his pale fingers clawing weakly at the frozen stone. The Supreme General extended a hand toward his niece, his leather glove open, his brilliant silver eyes glowing with an intense, manic light."The board is clear, Valerie," Marcus said, his voice dropping into a smooth, persuasive purr that cut through the whistling wind. "The Snow family is finished. The High Council is dead in their bunker. The old world is gone, and a new empire is rising in its place."Valerie didn't take his hand. She stood rigid, her original apex aura flaring around her like a shield of solid ice, her eyes staring at him with deep, unmitigated disgust. "You built a plague, Marcus. You killed our family. You let them harvest my mother like an animal. And now you want me to stand beside you?""I want you to be smart
The silence that followed Marcus's question was heavy and terrifying. Silas remained on his knees, his hands trembling in the deep snow, his breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps. The black lines of the rot were creeping closer to his jawline, throbbing with a sickly heat. Beside him, Valerie stood perfectly frozen, her icy silver eyes fixed on her uncle's scarred face.Marcus let out a short, sharp laugh that cut through the whistling wind. He turned his head slightly, looking back toward the rows of armored imperial soldiers standing in the courtyard."Come out, old friend," Marcus called out, his voice full of dark amusement. "Show our young King the true face of his kingdom."From behind the front line of golden tanks, a familiar figure stepped into the bright light of the airship's searchlight. He was no longer dressed in his torn security vest. He wore a clean, expensive black coat, and his previous paralysis was completely gone.It was Jax.Silas's bloodshot eyes widened in sh
The heavy golden airships hovered silently over the open courtyard, their massive, glowing searchlights cutting through the dark winter storm to light up the stone stairs like a theater stage. The giant tanks stopped moving at the edge of the perimeter, their long, black iron cannons pointed straight at the open palace doors. The loud, rhythmic sound of thousands of imperial soldiers marching in perfect unison filled the freezing air. Their heavy combat boots crunched loudly on the fresh white snow, a terrifying sound that echoed off the dark stone walls of the fortress.The front line of the massive army parted down the middle, creating a wide, clean path through the sea of armored men. A single figure walked forward through the rows of silent soldiers, moving with absolute authority.He wore the heavy, gold-rimmed uniform of the Solar Crest Empire's highest military branch. A long, snow white cape dragged behind him in the mud and slush, and a large silver sword rested in a decorate
Silas stood on the frozen marble stairs, his breath coming in short, painful gasps. The cold wind ripped through the rags of his black suit, but he didn't feel the chill. His eyes were wide with horror as he looked past the open gates, down into the wide valley below the fortress.The storm was clearing, and the dark valley was no longer empty. It was alive with thousands of glowing lights.A massive army was moving through the snow, covering the entire landscape like a blanket of iron and gold. Giant armored tanks, three times larger than any vehicle the Snow dynasty owned, rumbled across the frozen ground. Their heavy treads shook the mountain, making the grand palace stairs vibrate under Silas's shoes.But it was the sky that made Silas's heart stop completely.Floating silently beneath the clouds were dozens of massive, golden airships. They were the size of flying cities, their metallic hulls gleaming under the dim light of the winter moon. Their heavy cannons were all turned tow
The large black armored car drove fast down the mountain road. The big tires threw wet, gray snow against the dark trees. Inside the car, it was completely quiet. Silas stared straight ahead at the white road. His hands shook badly on the steering wheel. The black lines from the genetic sickness were spreading higher up his neck, looking like dark spiderwebs under his pale skin. In the back seat, Valerie sat perfectly still. She stared out the frosty window into the dark night. Her bright silver eyes looked like ice. She did not look at Silas, and she did not say a word.They were driving back to the capital city. They were going to the Ironclaw fortress, the big palace where the Snow family had lived for many years. It was supposed to be the safest place on the entire continent. But as the giant stone walls of the fortress appeared through the thick winter storm, Silas slowly took his foot off the gas pedal.The heavy car slowed down to a crawl. The bright yellow headlights shone thr
The old projector clicked off, plunging the white marble room back into the pale blue light of Valerie's medical kit. The voice of her mother still seemed to echo off the walls. Valerie stood frozen, her hand still bleeding from the cut she had made to open the door.Silas was leaning heavily again
The heavy click of the vault door locking behind them sounded like a death sentence. Silas did not hesitate. Even with the virus turning his blood to liquid fire, the Alpha King moved with lethal speed. He lunged across the stone floor, his claws shot out, aiming straight for the hacker's throat.B
The ride back from the frozen North was dark and completely silent. Silas drove the truck through the thick mist. He was perfectly still, like a king who knew his crown was covered in blood. The dark veins from the virus were climbing higher up his jaw, but his hands stayed frozen on the wheel.The
The heavy doors of the private office didn't just open; they were nearly taken off their hinges.Valerie jumped back from the desk, her skin still tingling from the ghost of Silas's touch. A young guard stood in the doorway, his chest heaving under his heavy leather armor, his face completely drain







