The Emperor’s final words, "sentence to death," echoed in the vast council room, hanging heavy in the air. King Noor IV stood frozen on the accused’s platform.
He simply couldn’t believe what he had just heard. The Emperor, Sir David, was a ruler King Noor had always respected, even admired, for his strength and, usually, his fair judgnt.
To hear such a harsh, such an absolute verdict coming from him, especially for Eric, his son, who he knew was not a bad person at heart, was a shock that went deep into his bones.
He felt as if the ground beneath his feet had suddenly given way. All his plans, all his hopes of explaining things, of finding so understanding, had turned to dust.
Emperor Sir David, having delivered his judgnt, did not linger. He stood up from his throne. He looked around the room once, his face stern and showing no emotion. "This Imperial Council eting," he announced, his voice firm and leaving no room for argunt, "is now concluded." He clearly expected everyone to accept his decision without question.
As the Emperor spoke these words, sothing inside King Noor snapped. The shock turned into a hot, burning anger.
It was an anger born of love for his son. His eyes, which had been wide with disbelief, now flared with a fierce light. He stood up straighter, his body tensing.
"This will not happen!" King Noor declared. His voice was not loud, but it was filled with such strong feeling, that it cut through the quiet room. Everyone looked at him in surprise. "Not while I am alive, this will not happen to my son!"
Emperor David, who had risen from his chair and was just starting to turn to leave the council chamber, stopped. He slowly turned back to look at King Noor. His face, which had been calm, now showed a dangerous stillness.
His blue eyes narrowed slightly. In a very serious voice, a voice that was low but carried a clear threat, he asked, "King Noor of Estoria, are you challenging my authority? Are you questioning the judgnt of this Imperial Council?"
The air in the room beca even more tense. It felt like a string pulled so tight it was about to break. Hearing the Emperor’s direct question, King Noor clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
His mind was racing. He thought of the promise he had made to his wife, Queen Isadora, before he left Estoria. He had promised her that no matter what happened to him, no matter what price he had to pay, he would not let anything truly terrible happen to Eric. He would bring Eric back ho safe.
Now, the Emperor was saying Eric would die. If he went back to Estoria without Eric, if he returned with the news that his son had been killed here, he would not be able to face his wife. He would not be able to face his own people. He would not be able to live with himself. It was better, he thought with a sudden, cold clearness, to die fighting here, trying to protect his son, than to live with such sha and failure.
With this desperate thought in his mind, the King’s hand moved slowly, deliberately, towards the hilt of the sword that hung at his side. It was a clear sign of what he was about to do.
Seeing this movent, seeing King Noor reach for his weapon in the presence of the Emperor and after such a clear judgnt, all the other kings and representatives in the room beca very concerned. They were shocked. A few of them gasped. One by one, they quickly stood up from their chairs.
"King Noor, don’t do this!" one of the older kings called out, his voice urgent. "Think of what you are doing!"
"You know the consequences of such an action!" another one pleaded. "It will not just be your own life! Not only your family but your entire kingdom, all your people, will pay a terrible price for this defiance!"
They knew the Emperor. They knew his power. To challenge him here, in his own council room, was like asking for complete destruction.
As King Jas of the Roland Kingdom saw King Noor reach for his sword, an even wider, more joyful smile spread across his face.
This was even better than he could have hoped! If King Noor was foolish enough to actually fight, if he chose this path of open rebellion right here, then the complete end of Noor’s family was certain.
The Emperor would have no choice but to crush him and anyone connected to him. And that would an Estoria, his rival kingdom, would be very weak for a long, long ti. For King Jas, no situation could be better than this.
He could hardly stop himself from cheering King Noor on. Inside his mind, he was applauding loudly, "Yes, Noor, do it! Be a hero! Fight for your son! Show them your courage!" Of course, he couldn’t say these things out loud. He had to look concerned, like all the other rulers.
But King Noor was past listening to warnings. His mind was made up. With a swift, smooth movent, he drew his sword from its sheath.
The sound of steel scraping against leather was very loud in the tense silence of the room. He quickly moved to stand in front of his son, Eric, positioning himself between Eric and the Emperor. He held his sword in a defensive way, ready to fight.
"Rather than stand by and watch my son die for a cri he did not fully commit" King Noor declared, his voice ringing with a father’s desperate courage,
"I would rather die fighting here myself!" He looked straight at Emperor David, then his eyes flicked towards the golden-armored Imperial soldiers who were already tensing, their hands moving towards their own weapons.
He knew it was a hopeless fight. He could not win against the Emperor and his guards. But he would not just stand by.
Then, without turning around, keeping his eyes on the threat in front of him, King Noor spoke quickly to Alina, who was still on the floor nearby, looking up in terror.
"Alina," he said, his voice urgent. "I had a bad feeling that sothing like this, sothing terrible, might happen. That is one of the reasons I insisted you co with us. I knew of your special ability, the one you told us about, the one that lets you move quickly from one place to another."
His voice grew more commanding. "Eric and Alina, both of you, listen to carefully! You must get out of here, now! As quickly as you can! Alina, use your special ability. Take Eric with you. Go back to Estoria."
"When you get there, find my oldest son, Revan. You must declare Revan king in my place. A great war, has now co upon our kingdom because of what has happened here. Estoria will need strong leadership. You must defend our holand. Go now! Go from here while I hold them off! I will give you as much ti as I can!"
Hearing his father’s words, hearing his plan for them to escape while he stayed behind to fight a battle he could not win, Eric, who was already feeling broken by the Emperor’s judgnt, completely shattered inside.
All his strength, all his hope, just vanished. Tears unstoppable stread down his face. He felt a pain in his chest that was worse than any physical hurt. His father was going to die for him. Because of him. It was too much to bear.
Utterly defeated, his mind in chaos, Eric suddenly thought of the one thing that had always, sohow, helped him before, even when he didn’t understand it. In his desperation, he pleaded silently, his thoughts like a raw scream inside his head,
"[System Window]! Oh, [System Window], please, forgive ! I have been so foolish! I didn’t listen to you! Please, save from this terrible situation! More importantly, save my father! Save him from this! You always get out of bad situations, you always help , but I never really thanked you! I never appreciated what you did! Please, if you can hear , help us now!"
Adam, who was still within Eric’s body, in his own inner world, heard Eric’s desperate, broken plea. He had been watching everything that was happening, feeling a mix of anger at the Emperor and a strange kind of interest in King Noor’s brave stand.
When he heard Eric’s cry for help to the System, he looked towards the glowing form of Millennia, the [System Interface]. He didn’t need to say anything. His look was enough.
Imdiately after seeing Adam’s look, Millennia vanished from Adam’s inner domain. In the very next instant, a familiar, shimring blue screen, the [System Window], appeared right in front of Eric. Eric was still on his knees, looking up at his father who was ready to fight, tears blurring his vision.
Eric was quite surprised. He had been calling out to the System in his mind, but he hadn’t really expected it to appear, not after it had gone silent before. To see it now, in this most desperate mont, gave him a tiny, flickering spark of hope.
"Please," Eric begged the [System Window], his voice very low, hardly a whisper, so that only the System could "hear" his thoughts. "Please, save my father. Do anything. I don’t care about myself anymore, just save him."
The blue screen of the [System Window] pulsed once. Then, text appeared. "[Host Eric. To resolve the current critical threat to your father, King Noor IV, and to yourself, you will have to enter into a binding magical contract with , with the entity you know as the [System Interface].]"
Eric was a little surprised by this. A contract? He knew what magical contracts were. They were serious agreents, usually between two beings, often involving an exchange of services and loyalty, and they were magically enforced.
But at this mont, with his father about to fight and die, with the Emperor’s guards ready to attack, he wasn’t thinking clearly about the details or the long-term consequences of such a thing. All he could think about was saving his father.
In a very soft voice, a voice full of desperation and a willingness to do anything, Eric replied to the System in his mind, "Yes. A contract. Whatever you need. Do whatever you have to do, anything, but please, you must save my father. Save him now."
Upon hearing Eric’s clear agreent, a soft, gentle wave of magical energy ca from the blue [System Window]. It flowed out and touched Eric’s forehead. It felt cool and strange for a mont, then it was gone. The connection was made.
Then, in Adam’s inner domain, the [System Interface], Millennia, appeared once more before Adam, who was still seated on his sofa.
"[Master]," Millennia reported, its synthesized voice calm as always.
"[A primary contract has been successfully established with Host Eric. He has agreed to the terms under duress, which is acceptable for this level of contract. With this binding agreent now in place, Master Adam, can initiate a body-switching protocol with Host Eric whenever you wish. You will have full control.]"
A slow, dangerous smile spread across Adam’s face. He leaned back on his sofa. His eyes, which had been watching the events unfold, now glead with a new, powerful light. "Millennia," Adam said, his silent voice filled with a dark satisfaction. "Very good. Excellent work." He paused, then his smile widened. "Now, let’s prepare. It’s ti to give all these arrogant people a little lesson. It’s ti for so... revenge."
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