Chapter 19 - The Sun and the Moon
Preparations for the southern expedition were swift and uncompromising.
Unlike the mountain campaign of Iron Ridge, entering the Southern Empire required diplomatic strategy as well as martial strength. Emperor Valerius was a powerful, arrogant ruler who commanded a vast navy and hundreds of thousands of armored human soldiers.
Nathaniel assembled a grand royal fleet of war galleys, while Grace selected her personal elite guard from among the cured Omegas, now fully trained as warriors and healers.
Two weeks later, the royal flagships anchored in the harbor of Sunspire—the dazzling, golden-domed capital of the Southern Empire.
The docks were lined with thousands of human citizens gaping in awe at the massive war vessels bearing the crest of the Northern Alpha King.
Grace and Nathaniel stepped onto the marble docks, flanked by fifty elite northern guards. Grace wore an magnificent dress of silver silk armor that caught the southern sunlight like polished mirrors, her crown resting proudly on her head. Nathaniel walked beside her in full obsidian battle armor, his giant black wolf trotting at his side.
At the entrance of the Sunspire Palace stood Emperor Valerius himself. He was an older man with sharp grey eyes, dressed in opulent gold robes, surrounded by his royal guards and court alchemists.
"King Nathaniel," Valerius greeted smoothly, offering a polite bow, though his eyes lingered with dark curiosity on Grace. "And the famous Silver Queen. Welcome to Sunspire. To what do I owe the unexpected pleasure of a northern fleet in my harbor?"
Nathaniel didn't bother with empty pleasantries. He stepped forward, his voice cold and echoing off the marble pillars.
"We are here for our people, Valerius."
Valerius raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence. "Your people? I assure you, Your Majesty, no northern citizens are being held in my empire illegally."
Grace stepped forward, pulling the captured southern ledger from her cloak and tossing it onto the marble floor between them.
"Forty-seven silver-blood Omegas were purchased by your court over the last decade through Baroness Celeste," Grace stated, her silver eyes locking onto the Emperor’s gaze with absolute force. "You used their blood to prolong the lives of your nobles and power your chemical alchemy."
The human court whispered nervously, several alchemists backing away in fear.
Valerius’s polite smile vanished, replaced by a cold, calculating glare. "Even if such a transaction took place, Queen Grace... those women were sold to us legally by your own High Council. They belong to the Empire now."
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Nathaniel took a single step toward Valerius, the ground beneath the Emperor’s feet trembling as the Alpha King’s power flared wildly.
"They belong to no one," Nathaniel growled, his hand resting on the hilt of his broadsword. "Surrender them to us within one hour, or my fleet will reduce your golden city to rubble and ash."
