Quadam, Galactican capital. "I don't understand. How is this possible?" Yuka croaked and the red haired woman began to walk towards his bedside. She dropped down to her knees, the tears now making their way down her cheeks. "Forgive me, Yuka. Forgive me for being late" she said and Yuka curled up into a ball, his back to her. He clutched at his chest as pain ripped through him. Childhood memories slithered their way into his mind. He thought of how miserable he'd been, as a child. He thought of the number of times he was accused of murdering his mother. He thought of the nightmares and the trauma. He thought of his loneliness and the fact that he'd been forced to grow up too quickly. It was all because his mother had left him alone right after he was born. How was he supposed to process the fact that she was still alive and had left him to survive on his own?The pain in his heart swelled to the point where he was gasping for air. His chest felt like it was being compressed and no ma

No one moved. All eyes watched the queen as she walked towards the huge portal that had opened suddenly. Anya bit her lower lip, tensed. This was not the first time she was seeing a portal that opened out of nowhere. But, this was ten times more horrifying than the ones she had previously encountered. And this one didn't look like it was going to vanish anytime soon.Clarice stopped in front of the looming portal and held out a hand towards it. A golden pearl which was the size of a base ball appeared on her palm, it's light shimmering like the rays of the sun. It was almost blinding. Most of the guests had looked away as a result of the intensity of it's brightness. Many other who were curious, continued to watch. "Don't be rude. This is not part of the deal. The time has not come. Accept this token of mine" she said and flicked it into the portal which shriveled up and vanished from sight. Clarice turned to face the guests, a cold smile on her face. "I apologise for the

Jotham, Silveran Capital. Hazel blinked, taking in the sight of the garden she found herself in, alongside the others. With three main black bloods in the group, they had shared themselves and teleported all at once. "Are you alright?" Liv asked General Barron who looked a little winded. "I'm fine. I have never experienced this before. I just need to catch my breath," he said.Behind him, the Spiers triplets were doubled over, hands planted on their thighs. They were winded as well. They had insisted on taking part in the fight.Violet, Kai and Lhyle stood side by side. Rhen, Charlotte and Alyvonne were in the same group. While Hazel, Yuka and Kyan were in a group of their own. "So, this is Silvera's palace?" Shade asked. Hazel nodded in response. "It looks pretty huge" Trey commented, unsheathing his sword. "We are in a real war for the first time in our lives. This is crazy" Carl stated. "You can back out if you want to. You don't have to do this" Liv said. "Don't say that.

HAZEL Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door of my husband's study. I was nervous. How well was he going to accept what I was about to tell him? I froze when I remembered that today was supposed to be our first anniversary. It wouldn't make sense for me to tell him now. Earlier, I had a meeting with the wives of the generals and that meeting had taken nearly the whole day."Your highness?" I turned to look at Gwon, my new bodyguard. "Yes?" "His Majesty has requested for your presence. He is in the east wing garden." Gwon escorted me to the garden where Yuka had prepared a romantic setting. The beauty of the sunset was in full display as well. Yuka rose to his feet and made me sit in front of him. "How was your day?" I asked as we ate. "It was quite long" he responded. True, he was busier than ever these past few days. "How about you?" He asked me. "I had a long meeting with the wives of the generals. It went well" I told him. He nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry I for