It had been a battle—if it could even be called that—that ended almost before it began.
One single skill.
That was all it took.
No formations, no counterattacks, no drawn-out strategies. Broken had unleashed just one move, through Queen Nerisa, and the mighty forces of Valantar were left scattered and in disarray. Not defeated in formal combat, but crushed under the weight of overwhelming power.
Still, it had done the job.
It sent a ssage.
Broken is not to be underestimated.
Dissidia Kingdom is not to be challenged lightly.
Now, back in the dimly lit chamber of the House of Slumdon, Broken stood with Maylock. Queen Nerisa had been returned to her designated quarters—sealed away, for now, in the private room Broken had prepared just in case he ever needed to contain sothing imnsely dangerous.
"Well," Maylock said with a low chuckle, arms crossed as he leaned against the wall, "that was… impressive. You've outdone yourself again, Broken. Honestly, we could do so much more with that queen."
Broken exhaled and turned his gaze toward the ceiling, rubbing the back of his neck.
"You're not serious about that, are you?"
Maylock's grin grew sly. "I am. You should marry her."
Broken groaned. "Enough with the marriage talk. I'm already barely keeping up with her personality as it is. If I marry soone like her, she'd end up running everything. You do rember Alora exists, right?"
Maylock raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I rember. That's exactly why this is hilarious."
Broken sighed again, deeply this ti. "No. Not until I'm strong enough. Strong enough to manage sothing like her."
Maylock smirked, leaning forward just slightly. "I can already picture it. Dissidia Kingdom in ruins, all because you said one wrong thing to that woman."
Broken dragged a hand down his face and muttered, "Yes… that woman is dangerous."
Then he pressed his fingers to his temples, massaging the tension away.
He'd just prevented a war.
But handling Queen Nerisa?
That… might be even harder.
Broken and Maylock stood before the projection screen, the glow from the floating golem's vision casting flickering shadows across the room. On the display, the remains of Valantar City's once-proud forces could be seen retreating across the desert.
Their formations were broken, their movent slower, ssier—many were injured, limping or supported by others. The numbers had thinned. Not decimated, but enough to be visibly reduced.
"They're licking their wounds," Maylock said, arms crossed. "This has to be humiliating for them."
Broken nodded slightly. His tone, as always, was even. "Surely they won't just accept this disgrace. They'll return."
Maylock gave a small, knowing smile. "They will. They've got pride, and a reputation to uphold. But they're not stupid either. They'll co back. But not as the force we saw today."
"You an with alliances?" Broken asked, eyes narrowing. "Other kingdoms? Other groups?"
"That's highly likely," Maylock replied. "They've just learned what overwhelming force looks like. Next ti, they'll want to match it."
The room fell into a heavy silence for a mont. Both n understood what that ant.
Still, Maylock was the one to speak next.
"But even so," he said slowly, "if we strike them now, we could suffer. That kind of retaliation would only co faster. And if we draw out their allies early, we could be caught before we're ready."
Broken gave a slow nod. "I understand. We hold, for now."
Then Maylock's gaze shifted slightly, a note of curiosity in his voice. "Have you secured the gate yet, Broken?"
The gate.
The additional exit portal from Vensalor Island.
The one he'd been trying to earn in the Trial Tower. A gateway that, once placed on his mobile golem base, would allow him to travel instantly between the island and any region he reached. A critical asset for his long-term plans.
If he could secure that gate, he wouldn't just be defending a kingdom.
He'd be ready to traverse Yunatea at will.
"I'm working on it," Broken said quietly, his tone restrained. "Maybe within the next month."
He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Every spare mont he had was already spent pushing toward that goal—but sohow, it still didn't feel like enough.
The pressure wasn't just coming from the war front.
He needed the gate not only to travel freely—but to manage. To monitor the rapid developnt on his floating island, now accelerating at a pace that demanded more than delegation. His presence was being pulled in too many directions at once.
And then… there was her.
"Is this also about Ivana?"
Maylock nodded slightly, reading the silence well enough. He tapped a new command, and the screen that had shown the golem's feed vanished—replaced by a floating map and an image that shimred slowly into view before them.
A photograph.
Broken leaned in.
The image showed a dense forest—lush and wild. Towering trees, so tall they looked like stone columns, rising into the sky in endless clusters.
"Where is this?" Broken asked, eyes narrowing.
Maylock said nothing at first. Instead, he zood in.
The image adjusted, focusing on the upper treeline—on the sky just above it.
There, a faint silhouette hovered, mid-air, between the clouds and canopy. Small. Distant. But unmistakably humanoid.
And what caught Broken's eye—what made him lean in even further—was the glint of the armor.
Sleek. Dragon-winged. The color… familiar.
"Wait," he whispered, breath hitching slightly. His voice was quiet, almost disbelieving.
"Ivana?"
Maylock didn't answer imdiately. His voice, when he finally spoke, was calm and asured.
"I can't say for certain," he said. "But the figure clearly has dragon wings. And yes… the armor has similarities to Ivana's."
Broken nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on the image, his expression tightened with growing curiosity.
"Where?" he asked quietly.
"It's in the North Continent," Maylock replied.
"The North Continent?"
Broken's eyes flickered with surprise as he turned to face him fully. The na alone was enough to conjure caution. He went silent for a few monts, thoughts racing. Because he knew what that ant. Everyone did.
The North Continent wasn't just vast—it was untad.
Only a small portion along the western edge had established kingdoms. The rest?
"That's the land of the Giants, isn't it?" Broken finally said.
Maylock nodded. "Yes… Giants control most of the continent. Only the western fringe is inhabited by humans and beastkin."
Broken exhaled sharply, stepping back slightly as his mind began calculating the possibilities.
If Ivana truly was in the North Continent… Then this wasn't just a rescue or a reunion.
It was a journey into the territory of beings that made even dragons think twice.
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