The Castle in the middle of nowhere.

It had been over a week since they crossed the border. The landscape changed significantly from what they remembered from their last visit. Mia Francesca sighed heavily as she saw another abandoned village in the distance.

"I would never expect that Arcadia could suffer such losses..."

She and her sister were travelling in a comfortable carriage on a poorly maintained road that desperately needed repairs.

"It's strange, but is it really that unexpected? They fought against Berna, sister. Berna always was a mighty country with a powerful navy." Tia shook her head and nervously fixed her hair. "According to our gathered intel, the war was devastating for both sides."

"But Theon won..." Mia almost whispered.

"Mia... I think asking him for more help is unreasonable," Tia advised, her voice starting to tremble.

"Then what? All those sacrifices were for naught? That we should simply give up?" Mia replied, near tears.

"I just don't know..." Tia murmured nervously.

"If you are right, I must pay the debt I owe him..." She went silent, but her face changed from resignation to powerless frustration.

Tia shrugged. "We both incurred this debt, and we will both pay it."

The following hours passed in heavy silence, but as soon as their caravan left the forest, they saw quite the sight to behold. The grand city bustling with life was the stark opposite of the desolate lands between here and Ebonrock. They swiftly approached the gates, and a few Guardsmen stopped them briefly. However, they were let in as soon as their guards explained who they were. The Guardsmen said something to Hilgvarian soldiers, who quickly made their way towards the carriages.

"We were expected..." Tia smiled for the first time in a few hours. "That city is huge, sister."

"It is," Mia agreed as she furrowed her brows. "And it wasn't here when we visited the last time."

"Maybe all the people who lived nearby moved here?"

"If that's true, then there is still hope." Mia smiled just as a suddenly bright flash of light blinded them both.

When they regained their vision, they were on the vast drawbridge of Avalon. They clearly remembered the massive and proud walls and mighty gates of Avalon. They slowly moved forward, seeing dozens of adventurers looking at them curiously. As they reached the City, the doors to their cart opened, and Rizk'a, followed by a nervous and younger Nekomi woman, quickly entered.

"It's good to see you again, my Queen!" He respectfully bowed, flashing a broad smile as he did so.

"Hello, Rizk'a. I'm sorry for not giving you any warning in advance..." Mia was shocked to see him politely raising his hand to interrupt her.

"To endanger yourself, my Lady, if our enemies found out? I do not need any word in advance. Your room is always ready for your arrival, my Lady, as is the one for Princess Tia." He bowed again, completely surprising them both. "I'm sorry I couldn't welcome you in Ebonrock or the Wild Beast Dungeon, but urgent matters stopped me here in Avalon."

"Rizk'a... What happened to you? Since when are you..." Tia's eyes widened as she tried to find a proper word. "... responsible?"

"I absolutely deserved that, my Lady." Rizk'a briefly laughed and nodded with a serious smile. "I fulfilled your order, my Queen. I studied at the Royal University of Arcadia, and it was a very eye-opening experience..."

"I can imagine..." Mia chuckled. "And who might this young lady be?"

"Queen Mia, Princess Tia, allow me to introduce you to my wife, Talani." Rizk'a straightened proudly, making Talani blush, and stood up to conduct another polite bow.

"It's an honour to meet you, my Queen, My Princess, " she said nervously, her head still lowered.

Mia and Tia exchanged shocked glances as the younger woman nervously sat down.

"It's nice to meet you, Talani..." Mia smiled, her surprise was so great that she couldn't say anything else.

However, Rizk'a wouldn't give her time to recover after the least expected news. "The King wishes to speak with you as soon as possible, my Lady."

"Do you know what he wants?" Mia almost panicked as her mind raced, proposing every dark scenario she had come up with until now and even adding a few more.

"Yes. The Arcadian spies have gathered extensive knowledge about our enemies. What seemed like a novelty just a week ago has escalated into something extremely serious in the last few days. From what I can tell, a significant amount of Arcadian Intelligence Agency resources are now focused on analyzing the gathered intel. Arcadia’s mild interest in the Union has shifted drastically. Queen Luna has even assigned Lady Fjorla, one of her direct subordinates, to oversee the investigation."

As she listened to his explanation, she gradually calmed.

"This may be the last moment to rest, my Lady. Once you step into that madness, I doubt you’ll have a moment’s rest."

"Take us straight to Theon," Mia decided decisively, too anxious to consider what had caused such unease among her friends.

Rizk'a nodded and ordered the carriage driver to head to Triskelion. While he and his wife sat down to report to them to kill the time, Mia couldn't focus at all. The girl sitting in front of her was at least ten years younger than she was and very beautiful. To her shock, Mia realised that she was somehow jealous. But that was unfair and wrong since it was she who ordered Rizk'a to stop being obsessed with her. Talani's unease grew with each moment as Mia kept her unwavering gaze locked on her face, but fortunately, the Queen of Hilgvar realised what she was doing before it was too late.

"So, you both met at the University?" she asked once Rizk'a finished his overly detailed and unnecessary report about the embassy building.

"Yes, your Highness..." she replied, but Mia quickly noticed the girl was uncomfortable speaking to her. She glanced at her knight, who affectionately put his hand over Talani's hands, which nervously clasped together. He smiled at Talani and whispered something in her ear, and she relaxed. Talani took a deep breath and tried to smile. "We met during an economics class and gradually fell in love..."

She smiled at her memories, making Mia nod. She would have to talk with that girl later and thank her. Their carriage stopped in the courtyard of a vast building, easily five times larger than the Palace of Avalon that she remembered from her previous visit. Rizk'a quickly stood up to open the doors, but before that, he slowly nodded toward the building.

"We have arrived, my Queen. This is the Palace of the Laws, also called Triskelion. It's the administrative heart of Arcadia and where most of the official meetings occur now." Rizk'a swiftly opened the door and stepped out of the carriage to keep the doors open for them.

Mia carefully exited the cabin where she had spent the last two weeks. As she walked, she lifted the sides of her dress slightly and descended gracefully, using the narrow but fortunately comfortable carriage's steps. She stepped on something soft, and as her eyes adjusted to the bright sun, she noticed the two rows of the Arcadian Guardsmen and a wide red carpet reaching for the doors of Triskelion. She was so taken aback that she wasn't sure what to do now. Thankfully, Rizk'a moved forward, and she simply followed him, glancing at the Guardsmen and their impressive and shining equipment occasionally. Their faces were serious, but their gazes were friendly, which gave her more confidence. She looked back, and Tia and Talani were closely following her. Still in shock, she followed Rizk'a through the maze of corridors and stairways deep inside the building. The corridors were kept clear for the time they needed to reach their destination. They passed armed guards who patrolled the building and, as Rizk'a explained, checkpoints before they reached the heavy doors that slowly opened.

The peaceful silence of the imposing building died in the busy hustle of a large office filled with dozens of people talking simultaneously. Large, circular tables were surrounded by groups of officers who were discussing something and making notes. Some of them used giant slabs of glass with pre-drawn maps of Hilgvar and Union, and they used erasable pens as they wrote and adjusted their plans. In the middle of that chaos was a vast circular table behind which King Theon and his Queens sat. Despite the nervous atmosphere, he was calm like a mountain as he watched something moving on the table before him. Occasionally, one of the Queens pointed out something, and he either nodded or shook his head in disagreement, often explaining his decision briefly. She recognised the five Queens instantly. Amber, Irene, Luna, Hestia, and Aoi were even more beautiful than the last they met. However, the three other women present were unfamiliar. One was a tall, green-eyed blonde discreetly introduced as Queen Lavender by Rizk'a. The second one, much shorter than the others, was known as Queen Freya. The last one... The last one gave Mia a pause and a mild panic attack. She was so beautiful that no one could look at her without staring openly. She also had a pair of magnificent black wings which indicated her unusual and rather mystical origins. She was also the first to notice their arrival, and she had quickly approached the King, who smiled under her touch. She whispered something to his ear, and he promptly fixed his strangely tired gaze on her.

"Mia?" Theon looked at her as if he saw a ghost.

"Yes, it's me." The Queen of Hilgvar smiled as she and her small court approached the table. She curtsied in the most distinguished way and looked at the man she called her friend with a warm but concerned gaze. "I arrived in Avalon, hoping to renegotiate the terms of your help to my country... But... What's the meaning of all this, King Theon?"

"Well... Things are getting complicated, really, really fast..." He smiled awkwardly and pointed towards chairs that appeared out of nowhere.

The doors to the war room opened once again and more people approached the central table.

"Excellent!" Theon smiled again, but there was no happiness behind his smile. "Everyone, we don't have time for elaborate introductions, so you must bear simplicity. Queen Mia Francesca of Hilgvar, Princess Tia Francesca of Hilgvar, please meet Princess Cassmira Metaka, formally known as my fiancée, and her brother, Prince Leonard Metaka, the ambassadors of Metaka in Arcadia."

The two young adults slightly bowed their heads towards Mia and Tia, who quickly stood up, but Theon interrupted them with a raised hand. To Mia's shock, the descendants of Emperor Darius were visibly uneasy.

"Please also meet Cahrona va’Theon, the eighth Queen of Arcadia and a Princess of Demonkins, as well as the future Demon Queen." Theon extended his arm towards the woman who was standing nervously near him. She bowed deeply, which caused Mia and Cassmira to inhale and look at each other abruptly. They may have never met before, but Mia and Cassmira needed just one glance to understand each other. However, the King of Arcadia ignored their reaction as he leaned over the table and cleared his throat, drawing all attention to his person. "As we speak, one of my destroyers is speeding towards the Empire of Metaka, carrying a warning and evidence about the Southern Union. You already received the same documents, Cassmira and Leonard. With Berna's fall, I was sure the danger in Metaka was eliminated, but I was horribly wrong. The succession war might consume the entire country and lead to a split. In the worst case scenario, it will be taken over by the faction supported by the Union."

Mia blinked in shock, trying to comprehend what was happening. One glance at the Prince and Princess of Metaka was enough to see their discomfort, but by any means, they were shocked. In the meantime, Theon snapped his fingers which painted the lands of Union in a vibrant red colour on the map in front of them. Arcadia changed its colour to blue, Metaka to yellow, and Hilgvar to green. They observed a flash of accelerated events as the miniature armies of Metaka clashed with each other.

"You can see here a simulation of the most likely scenario we came up with." Theon sighed, still leaning over the table.

Mia couldn't understand why he was so nervous. His country shouldn't be affected by the war.

"As forces of Guad and Vettalia clash to decide who will rule the country, a third faction emerges and instantly tries to assassinate Empress Matilda. If they succeed, they will turn against Guad and Vettalia, killing them both in the ensuing chaos. I'm sorry, Leonard, but if things go this far, Cassmira, as my fiancée, would use the Arcadian military to re-establish the rightful ruler over Metaka. If I'd tried to exclude her and support you instead, the consequences might be unpredictable."

The young prince nodded. "I'm fully aware of that, King Theon. I have already denounced any claims of succession, so it would only worsen the situation," he replied calmly.

Mia was impressed by his demeanour. As they spoke, events and miniature battles unfolded before their eyes, slowly eroding Metaka's yellow and replacing it with the Union's red. Mia's eyes widened as she quickly realised how devastating this could be for her war against the Union.

"With the Empire of Metaka torn by the civil war and without any proper forces to retake regions that rebelled, the Union would most likely negotiate a ceasefire with Cassmira, who would assume the crown of Metaka. Then, the Union would use the previously untouched armies to attack Hilgvar. The vast armies are stationed near the Empire's borders to prevent and deter any potential Metakan intrusions. Our careful estimations number those forces to be at least thirty thousand strong. But that's not the worst thing. The Union has tried to obtain airships from Arcadia, but we refused to sell them, even the ruined ones. In response, the Union has cut all ties with Arcadia. The Union, however, has not resigned from obtaining the airships. My intelligence officers estimate that the rebels in Metaka may take over at least fifty airships, and some might be used against Hilgvar."

The miniature armies and airships flashed on the map and moved to the most dangerous positions Mia could have imagined. Her heart sank in despair, but Theon wasn't finished talking.

"As everyone knows, Breonia and Aswal have united, creating a new yet unnamed Kingdom. Recently we discovered that Vetulia and Estaria have united as well, again creating a new, unnamed country. The only logical conclusion is that the Southern Union will eventually create a single, unified country."

A dense silence fell around the table as the King of Arcadia gave everyone a moment to digest the unpleasant news. Mia looked at Tia, whose eyes were desperately pouring over the map before her as if looking for a crack in Theon's estimations.

"With all that might redirected at Hilgvar, the Union hopes to resolve the war in one quick campaign." Theon’s eyes shined with a cold blue light as he looked into Mia's eyes, straightening and crossing his arms. "Once Hilgvar falls, the Union will dominate the southern regions of Aderon, cutting off Arcadia from all other countries, which is irrelevant on its own..."

Theon's voice hung menacingly in the air as the King of Arcadia lowered his head, and everyone followed his gaze. The miniature armies of the Union regrouped and now occupied the strategically important positions around Arcadia. Mia held her breath as she realized something that Theon quickly confirmed.

"I see by your faces that all of you are trying to guess why I tell you all this. We have gathered enough pieces of evidence to confirm that the end goal of the Union is an attack on Arcadia itself."