One Month Later.
In Alix's Working Chamber, the soft glow of arcane lamps fills the chamber. Tomes are stacked on side tables. Charts of ley lines and magical forecasts are pinned to the walls. At the center sits Alix, silent, the low rustle of parchment the only sound.
Across from him kneels a member of the Shadows—hooded, wrapped in loose black armor layered with thin enchantments. Her voice is low but steady, the kind meant only for his ears.
"It's going well, Your Majesty," she says. "The invasion has progressed faster than expected."
Alix raises his eyes from the map. "How fast."
The Shadow pulls out a scroll, unfurls it, and places it on the desk between them. "We've secured roughly five percent of Ereborn's surface land. That includes five minor kingdoms, four major border cities, and several autonomous provinces in the outer east. The Bonepiercers took the central edge of Rhyssor and are spreading west—unchecked."
