[Silthara Palace — The Eastern Departure Gate — Afternoon]
The imperial gates of Silthara Palace opened slowly beneath the burning afternoon sun.
Massive black doors carved with ancient serpent emblems groaned against stone while desert winds swept through the lower courtyards carrying heat, dust, and the scent of approaching travel.
The eastern expedition was finally departing. Rows of Red Knights stood armored beside the royal convoy while desert drakes snarled impatiently against golden harness chains.
Supply caravans stretched endlessly behind them: water carriers, dical wagons, Imperial scouts, and mage escorts.
Everything necessary for crossing the eastern desert safely or attempting to. At the center of the procession, Zerat stood beside the black royal carriage, speaking quietly with the military captains.
"No campfires after midnight." His voice remained calm. "Double the eastern scouts, and if anything unusual moves beneath the dunes..."
His golden eyes darkened slightly.
"...do not investigate alone."
"Yes, Malik."
The imperial convoy finally began moving beneath the blazing desert sun.
Massive drakes pulled the royal carriages forward while armored knights surrounded the procession like black waves moving across gold sand.
Imperial banners danced violently beneath the eastern winds, and slowly Silthara Palace began disappearing behind them. Inside the royal carriage, Levin adjusted the sword resting beneath the folds of his robes while Zerat carefully arranged cooling silk curtains around the windows to shield the interior from the harsher sunlight.
The carriage itself slled faintly of jasmine oils, polished cedarwood, and silver serpent pheromones lingering from Zerat’s presence.
Levin shifted slightly against the cushions, then suddenly—THUD!!! The carriage shook violently, before anyone could react—
Lyresaph shoved his enormous silver head through the carriage doorway while Asha aggressively climbed over Levin’s lap like she owned imperial property.
"...absolutely not."
anwhile, Lyresaph sohow forced half his dragon body inside despite the carriage clearly not being built for dragons. Then Asha slapped his cheeks and... Lyresaph blinked, and he transford into a small form and jumped inside.
The wood groaned once. Levin blinked once, then finally smiled faintly. A real small and soft smile.
"You both wished to co too?"
Asha imdiately answered by curling herself proudly across Levin’s lap. Lyresaph sneezed, and Zerat stared flatly because half his consort had already been conquered by the dragon and a tiger cub.
Silence.
Then Zerat slowly looked toward Lyresaph. "...why are you here?"
Lyresaph blinked once. Asha sat proudly and traitorously, and they both ignored Zerat perfectly. Levin quietly looked away to hide amusent.
Zerat sighed deeply, the exhausted sigh of a ruler realizing he had sohow lost authority inside his own carriage. Then finally he sat beside Levin anyway and wrapped one arm protectively around his waist.
"Let us leave before the dragon takes away my consort before my child does."
Outside, imperial horns echoed across the palace gates, and the convoy officially began its journey toward Sah’qir Village.
***
[Silthara Palace — Lower Courtyard — Monts Later]
Unlike the noisy departure at the main gates, the lower courtyard remained quieter, still, and almost abandoned. At the far end beneath towering obsidian arches, Arkhazunn walked slowly through the hallway dressed in long dark robes embroidered with silver runes.
The eastern sunlight reflected faintly against the erald jewels hanging from his sleeves. Yet despite the elegance, he still looked tired, like soone carrying grief beneath skin too proud to show it openly.
Behind him, steady armored footsteps approached.
Varesh, the captain stopped several steps behind him before bowing slightly.
"Greetings, High Mage." His voice remained respectful. "The imperial convoy is prepared for departure."
Arkhazunn glanced toward him briefly, then frowned slightly. "...why are you still here?"
Varesh straightened calmly. "The Malik ordered to accompany you."
That made Arkhazunn sigh imdiately, long and knowing as he muttered softly beneath his breath.
"...of course he did."
For several monts silence lingered between them. Only the desert winds were moving softly through the open arches nearby.
Then Arkhazunn finally spoke again as his gaze shifted towards the lower courtyard.
"You did not need to remain behind. I could have simply used a portal. The portals may not support large groups...but I would have arrived safely alone."
Varesh blinked once as he hesitated slightly. "Then...should I follow the imperial convoy instead?"
"No." The answer ca imdiately.
Arkhazunn looked toward him fully this ti, and though his expression remained composed—sothing quieter lingered beneath it. Sothing tired.
"You may co with ...at least then I will not arrive alone."
Varesh stilled faintly, just faintly, because those words, simple as they were, felt strangely heavier than they should have.
Then slowly Arkhazunn extended his hand toward him. Elegant fingers marked faintly with ancient rune scars.
"We should leave."
Varesh looked downward, toward the offered hand, and for one dangerous second, his heartbeat stumbled.
Not because of fear—never fear—but because sowhere along the way the High Mage’s loneliness had begun feeling painfully personal to him.
Varesh swallowed quietly before finally placing his gloved hand into Arkhazunn’s.
"Yes..." His voice lowered slightly. "...High Mage."
The mont their hands touched, erald runes ignited softly across the marble floor beneath them. Ancient, glowing, and beautiful.
The air distorted violently, and then with a deep resonating hum, a massive portal opened before them. Its center shimred like liquid erald glass while ancient serpent symbols rotated slowly along its edges.
The eastern desert wind imdiately poured through the opening, hot, dry, and endless. Arkhazunn tightened his hold slightly before stepping forward and, without hesitation, Varesh followed beside him.
Together they disappeared into the portal, and the gateway collapsed behind them in a storm of glowing green ash. Far away, the eastern desert waited, silent, watching and hungry.
***
[House Karzath — Rakhane’s Office — Sa Ti]
The chamber had grown suffocating, not from heat, not from silence but from pheromones sharp enough to feel like blades against skin.
The lantern flas trembled violently against the obsidian walls while tension thickened across the room like poisoned smoke.
At the center of that suffocating pressure stood Rakhane, still and deadly. One eye hidden beneath a black patch while the visible one burned dark red beneath the dim light.
And across from him—Azhrakaal remained leaning casually near the desk.
Too casually.
"...what exactly are you saying?" Rakhane’s voice ca dangerously slow, controlled in the way only truly furious serpents beca.
The air cracked faintly around him as he stepped forward once saying. "Are you telling ...that you intend to kill my sister?"
Azhrakaal blinked once almost confused by the reaction. His voice remained smooth, calm and wrong as a small shrug followed.
"Why are you offended, High Ensi? If Lady Arinaya disappears...would that not benefit you?"
The temperature inside the room seed to drop instantly. Rakhane stared at him, long and coldly. Then suddenly his pheromones exploded through the chamber.
Dark serpent pheromones flooded the room violently enough to make the lantern flas nearly extinguish.
"She is my sister." The words ca low not loud far more dangerous than shouting. "And I decide how long she breathes."
Another step forward.
"When she dies."
Another.
"And who earns the right to touch her life."
Azhrakaal’s smile faded slightly for the first ti since entering House Karzath the Black Serpent actually looked cautious.
"So..." Rakhane’s visible eye narrowed sharply. "...how dare you speak about killing her in front of ?"
The pressure inside the room beca unbearable now. Even the marble beneath their feet cracked softly. Azhrakaal finally straightened fully as his voice sharpened faintly.
"She suspects . We cannot allow that problem to grow."
"That," Rakhane cut him off imdiately, "...sounds like your incompetence."
Silence....a deadly silence.
"You knew my sister was intelligent." Rakhane’s voice lowered further. "You knew she notices details others ignore, and yet you still failed to hide yourself properly."
Azhrakaal’s eyes darkened slightly now, not just a serpent.
"We should remove the threat before—"
"Lay one finger on her." Rakhane interrupted again and this ti his voice sounded genuinely murderous. "I will carve your spine from your body myself."
The room went still, absolutely still. Azhrakaal paused because suddenly he realized sothing important.
Rakhane may manipulate, may sche, may desire Levin obsessively and may even work beside monsters. But Lady Arinaya was untouchable to him.
Not because he was kind, not because he was protective because she belonged to him.
His blood, his house, his responsibility and no outsider not even a Black Serpent—was allowed to decide her death.
Rakhane stepped closer until they stood nearly face to face now, one eye hidden and the other burning like dark gold fire.
"Your task..." His voice lowered dangerously. "...is not my sister."
Azhrakaal remained silent listening now carefully.
"You promised Levin." The na left his mouth almost possessively and hungrily. Rakhane’s fingers curled slowly behind his back. "I want that human beside , serving on bed, breathing for ."
Sothing deeply obsessive flickered beneath his visible eye now, sothing wrong ancient and possessive.
"You already destroyed one child." His voice sharpened suddenly. "So make sure the second one disappears too."
Even Azhrakaal blinked slightly at the coldness behind those words because Rakhane did not sound emotional nor cruel.
He sounded impatient.
"I have wasted enough patience already." Then finally Rakhane stepped away from him completely. His robes swayed sharply behind him as he walked toward the chamber doors.
But before leaving he paused once more without turning around.
"And Azhrakaal..." His voice lowered one final ti. "...rember carefully."
The lantern flas dimd violently.
"If my sister dies before I allow it...I will make even Black Serpents fear extinction."
Then he walked out Leaving the office chamber drowned in silence. Azhrakaal remained standing alone afterward, still, motionless and for perhaps the first ti in years—the infiltrator genuinely looked confused.
"...is this serpent insane?"
Because sohow— Rakhane had just threatened both, his own sister’s future death, and anyone else attempting to kill her first.
The contradiction itself felt monstrous. Outside the desert winds scread violently across House Karzath.
And sowhere deep inside the empire—every serpent involved was slowly becoming more dangerous than the last.
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