Valemir was wrapped in a storm of whispered headlines and corporate confusion. Jefferson Global was restructuring. Aeris Holdings had gone silent. The Third Seal had vanished off every radar.
And amid the chaos… Kip Mandari thrived.
In a towering penthouse overlooking the city skyline, Kip poured himself a glass of aged Kavarian whiskey. The city shimmered below, a symphony of ambition and greed—his favorite tune.
Across from him sat a man cloaked in shadows. Only his gloved hands rested on the polished table.
"The seal has moved," Kip said smoothly, swirling the liquid in his glass. "And our two lovebirds are finally bonding like oil and fire."
The man didn't respond.
Kip leaned forward. "You promised me influence, and I've delivered instability. Jefferson Global's board is divided. Elsa's reputation is bleeding. The seal hunt has split her attention. Now… I need what you promised."
The man finally spoke. His voice was gravel dragged through honey. "You'll get your reward once the fourth seal is revealed."
Kip narrowed his eyes. "I'm not your pawn. If you're going to use my hands to push Valemir into war with Kavaria, then I want more than whispers in return."
"You'll have more," said the man. "You'll have dominion over Valemir."
Kip raised a brow. "And what about the Dragon Son-In-Law?"
A beat of silence.
Then the man chuckled. "That… is a question even I cannot answer. The boy is not who he claims. His blood runs deeper than yours, than Elsa's, than the sect that sleeps beneath the mountain."
Kip's face hardened. "Then we shake the mountain."
Meanwhile – Jefferson Global Headquarters
The boardroom was silent, tension hung thick like smoke. Elsa sat at the head of the long table, the seal's aura still faintly pulsing beneath her skin.
She wore a white blazer trimmed with silver threads—power woven into grace. Across from her, Nyra sat poised, her eyes calm, her posture perfect.
"You were in Kavaria without board clearance," one of the older executives began.
"I don't need board clearance to follow a threat to this company's future," Elsa responded evenly. "What I found there—"
"You mean what you chased there," Nyra interrupted sweetly. "An ancient myth wrapped in fire and legend?"
Elsa's gaze narrowed.
"Careful," she said softly. "You're starting to sound like Kip."
Nyra's lips twitched. "Oh no. Kip was reckless. I'm strategic."
There it was.
The truth bled through her perfectly polished words.
Elsa leaned back, folding her hands. "Then let's speak strategically, shall we? You've been leaking information to outside interests. Masked transfers routed through shell companies. One even tied to a Kavarian trading front. Want to explain?"
Gasps echoed.
Nyra blinked, just once. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Elsa tossed a packet of documents across the table. "That's a lie."
Silence. Everyone stared at Nyra.
But the woman didn't flinch. She smiled instead. "You're better than I expected, Elsa. I underestimated you."
"Not the first," Elsa said coolly.
Nyra stood, smoothing her skirt. "Then I suppose it's time I stopped pretending."
With that, she walked out—unhurried. Unshaken.
Elsa didn't stop her.
But as soon as the boardroom door shut, Elsa turned to her assistant.
"Track her. Every move. Every call. I want her shadow mapped before the sun sets."
Elsewhere – In the Depths of Valemir
Chess stood alone at the edge of the old sect's underground ruins, the torches around him flickering against damp stone.
He knelt before a broken statue of a dragon coiled around a flame.
"Father," he murmured. "It's begun, hasn't it?"
He reached out, touching the statue.
A vibration hummed beneath his palm.
Then a whisper filled the cavern, in a voice not heard in decades.
"The final trials await you, child of the storm. But beware—the fourth seal will not open for the pure. Only those tainted by sacrifice may touch it."
Chess's eyes flickered with light.
He stood.
"I've sacrificed enough," he said. "Now it's time to claim."