Scene: Blackwood Throne Hall, Minutes After Xavier's Arrest
Christiana's POV (The Dictator)
I should've felt triumphant.
Xavier—the rival—was finally stripped, disgraced, marched away in chains. My power stood untouched. Elevated.
And yet… I didn't smile.
Not out of restraint.
But because Father's fury had frightened me more than Xavier ever could. He was cold, ruthless, absolute. That wasn't just power — it was divine wrath unleashed.
I stood there, arms folded, watching as the Shadow Sentinels dragged the Cainner away, the iron cuffs gleaming like death sentences in the torchlight.
But then… something changed.
As Xavier passed the center of the hall, he paused.
Not out of resistance.
Not out of fear.
He looked back at Father. And in that single moment, I saw something wild—something... dangerous flash across his eyes.
A final act.
Then—he moved.
---
Narrator — The Chaos Unleashed
In one fluid motion, Xavier twisted, disarmed the closest Sentinel with lightning speed and turned the pistol to the throne.
But he didn't get the chance.
Chris had already stood up.
A single shot rang out. From Chris's hand. Straight into Xavier's shoulder.
Xavier staggered back. Blood splashed onto the marble.
But before the Sentinels could grab him—one of his men snapped.
A loyalist. Hidden. Silent. And now… fatal.
The soldier drew his weapon.
Bang.
The bullet hit Chris.
Right in the abdomen.
Everything stopped.
The throne room—once echoing with footsteps and commands—now became a cathedral of silence and horror.
Christiana's scream tore through the air like a knife.
"FATHER!"
Chris staggered, eyes wide. He looked down… touched the blood seeping through his robe.
Then he fell.
---
Christiana's POV
I didn't think.
I ran.
Damn the guards. Damn the law. Damn the Blackwood name. I was just a daughter at that moment.
I knelt by him as the Sentinels took the shooter down—ripping him apart, not even bothering with chains.
"Father… Father stay with me—please—!"
His eyes fluttered, but he didn't lose consciousness.
He looked at me—through me.
Then he whispered, barely audible:
"Never... let this Empire fall…"
---
BNN Flash Alert:
> "BREAKING NEWS! Supreme Ruler Chris Blackwood has been shot in the throne chamber. The shooter, a former Cainner loyalist, was killed instantly. Chris is currently being rushed to a secured medical facility under heavy guard. The Blackwood Empire has entered Code Crimson. The fate of the ruler—and the stability of the Empire—hangs in the balance."
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To Be Continued…