The cold wind howled through the stone halls of the palace, but inside, the atmosphere was heavier than steel. Aleron paced back and forth in the throne room, his armored boots clicking sharply against the marble floor. His steps were restless, filled with anger and frustration. High above, the ancient banners of the royal house hung limp in the air, their once-bright colors faded by time.
King Aric stood near the grand windows, his back to the room, watching the distant lands with calculating eyes. Queen Selene sat calmly beside the throne, her hands folded neatly in her lap, her face serene but distant, like a statue carved from ice.
"We will use Dragonlord's strength," King Aric said quietly, his voice cutting through the silence.
Aleron immediately turned, his expression fierce. "For what? You always do that — always use him, and I always get humiliated!" His voice cracked slightly with a mixture of rage and something deeper. "Do you even believe in me?"
Aric slowly turned to face him, his gaze as sharp as a blade. "We will use his strength to destroy two obstacles at once — the Demon Lord and Dragonlord himself. One stone, two dragons dead."
Aleron blinked, startled by the bluntness. For a moment, he stared at his father with new, sharpened curiosity.
He didn't care much about the Demon Lord. He knew the Demon Lord was strong — strong enough to bring nations to their knees — but even then, he wasn't as strong as Dragonlord. Without Dragonlord, even with the full force of the royal army, their victory against the Demon Lord would come at a horrifying cost. The damage would be unimaginable.
Even if they sent Dragonlord to fight first, the army would still suffer massive losses. And with Dragonlord dead too... it would send a brutal message to the other kingdoms they sought to conquer — that even the strongest among them could fall.
As these thoughts stormed through Aleron's mind, King Aric watched him carefully, a small, cold smile tugging at his lips.
"Don't worry," Aric said, interrupting Aleron's thoughts. "We won't send him alone with the army. Maybe... a small group will be enough. Just enough to ensure the Demon Lord definitely dies."
Aleron started wondering exactly how small the group would be, so he asked his father one more question with curiosity. "Exactly how much do you mean by small group?"
Aric replied with a simple smile. "Maybe a few hundred. I think that's a good number to sacrifice for Dragonlord with them." He walked toward Aleron and added, "A few hundred will not affect our army's force."
Aleron scoffed and threw himself into a nearby chair, his armor clanking against the stone. "I thought you were about to tell me some brilliant plan. But this? This is stupidity. Who in their right mind would willingly march into a battle with a small force against a Demon Lord?"
Aric's expression didn't change. He simply said, "Your brother will go. If I tell him, he will obey."
Aleron's face twisted with anger. "Brother? I have no brother. Don't call that... that slave by such a title!"
"Alright, alright," King Aric said smoothly, raising a hand. "Forgive me."
Aleron leaned forward, his hands clenched into fists. "Even if he kills the Demon Lord... how are we going to kill him afterward?"
Aric turned his cold gaze to the shadowed corner of the room. "That," he said, "is where your sister becomes important."
Seraphina had been standing silently by one of the tall pillars, half-hidden in the gloom. As the king spoke, she pushed off the pillar and walked forward, her face bored, her voice sharp.
"Just spit it out already," she said, folding her arms. "What do you need me to do? Say it, and I'll be done with this nonsense."
"It will work," King Aric assured her. "After Dragonlord defeats the Demon Lord, we will immediately summon him to the throne room. We will tell him that his dear sister has something important to say."
Seraphina arched a delicate eyebrow. "Oh really? You think if I say I want to talk to him, he'll just come running like a loyal dog?"
Aric chuckled lowly. "You'll see soon enough."
Seraphina rolled her eyes. "Let me guess — once he's here, you want me to block his healing power."
Before the king could answer, Aleron muttered bitterly, "Even if you stop his healing, he's still a monster. After the fight with the Demon Lord, he'll be weakened, sure, but he can still fight. Maybe I could kill him then... but I'd be heavily injured too. I don't have that freakish ability to regrow a full arm in a day."
King Aric's voice turned sly. "Why risk your life? After Seraphina blocks his healing, we'll unleash the soldiers on him."
Aleron frowned deeply, thinking. His mind raced with doubts. "Do you really think they'll attack him? You know how the soldiers act. Whenever he enters the hall, they don't even dare lift their heads. They bow so low they practically kiss the floor. They fear him. Even injured, they'll hesitate."
Queen Selene finally spoke, her voice calm and cutting. "They don't meet his eyes because they fear him, yes. But my ability has already conquered their minds. The deeper their hatred, the easier they are to control."
She smiled — a small, chilling thing. "If he is injured and cannot heal, they will not see him as a god. They will see him as vulnerable. It will be easy for me to turn their fear into violence."
Aleron stared at her, and for a moment, doubt flickered across his face. But it was only for a moment. He nodded slowly.
"If the soldiers turn on him... and I strike at the right time..." Aleron muttered under his breath. "Then yes, maybe... maybe it's possible."
The plan hung in the air like a blade suspended by a thread — sharp, deadly, inevitable.
Aleron and Seraphina never believed the plan would work. The first hurdle was that Aleron had to go to the Demon Lord with literally no army. Even if they managed to get Dragonlord to fight the Demon Lord, the second part of the plan seemed near impossible. Once the battle was over, Seraphina was supposed to call him to the throne room, and Dragonlord would have to come. He always stayed away from everyone after a battle, retreating to his solitude, and the thought that he would come just because she called was laughable.
But for Aleron and Seraphina, there was nothing to lose. If Dragonlord did come to the throne room, then the plan could be executed. If he didn't, they could always pretend they had no knowledge of it. There was no risk in their eyes, only a calculated game.
As for King Aric, he was sure it would work — not because he believed Dragonlord loved his family, but because of his unique ability to see what the future held. With a mere glance, he could foresee the outcome of events, and he trusted that his vision was always accurate. Queen Selene, too, believed in her husband's judgment. She had stood by him all these years and never once questioned him. She knew, without a doubt, that he was never wrong.
The betrayal had already begun.