Kingdom Reboot: Rise Of The Conquest System

Chapter 3: The Warning That Came Too Late -

"Gods, yes," Mileena moaned as she bounced harder on him. Her auburn hair stuck to her sweaty face while her brown eyes were half closed with pleasure. "Right there, Aurelius. Don't you dare stop."

But Aurelius barely heard her. Blue words kept flashing in his vision like some kind of magic he didn't understand.

[CONQUEST SYSTEM ACTIVE]

[WARNING: TIMELINE CHANGE DETECTED]

[MISSION PRIORITY: CONVINCE AND SAVE THE HIGH KING]

The words made no sense. System? Timeline? What in the hells was happening to him?

Mileena's moans got louder as she moved faster. Her breasts bounced above him while she chased her pleasure. Any other time, he would have flipped her over and taken control. Would have fucked her so bad and made her scream his name until the whole palace heard.

Not today. Today he had bigger problems.

"Mileena," he said softly. He grabbed her hips to stop her movement. "I need to go."

Her eyes snapped open. Confusion replacing the lust on her face. "What? Right now? But we're not finished."

"I know." He gently lifted her off him. His cock slipping out of her wetness as he sat up. "But something important just came up."

She fell back on the silk sheets, naked and beautiful. Her skin glowing with sweat and morning light.

"But I was so close," she whined. Her hand moved between her legs, touching herself where he'd just been. "Can't you feel how wet I am for you?"

The blue words wouldn't stop flashing.

[TIME REMAINING: 8 MINUTES]

[URGENT: PROCEED TO THRONE ROOM]

Eight minutes? Eight minutes for what? what happened previously? Aurelius was just so confused.

"I have to go," he said. He grabbed his clothes from the floor and dressed quickly. His hands shaking as he pulled on his pants and shirt.

"I could make it quick," Mileena offered. She sat up and reached for him. "Let me use my mouth. I know how you like it when I..."

"No time," he said. He kissed her forehead quickly. Her skin was still warm and soft.

The palace hallways were busy with morning work. Servants carried trays and fresh linens. Guards walked their usual routes. Everything looked normal.

But the blue words kept counting down filling Aurelius with dread.

[TIME REMAINING: 6 MINUTES]

Aurelius broke into a run. His boots echoing off the stone walls as he raced toward the throne room. Guards saluted him as he passed. They had no idea what was coming.

A group of royal guards blocked his path near the throne room doors. Their captain stepped forward.

"Commander," the man said. "You are supposed to be in your chambers. We had orders to escort you to His Majesty."

"I'm already going there," Aurelius said. "Stand aside."

"Sir, we must follow protocol," the captain replied. "Please move with us."

Aurelius didn't have time for this. He pushed past them and slammed the throne room doors open. The guards shouted behind him but he ignored them.

The throne room was packed with nobles and advisors. King Aldric sat on his golden throne looking tired and old. Victor stood beside him with papers in his hands.

"Your Majesty," Aurelius called out. He strode into the room while the guards tried to catch him. "I must speak with you. Right now."

The room fell silent. Everyone stared at him like he'd lost his mind.

"Commander," the king said slowly. "What is the meaning of this? You were to be brought here properly."

Victor's smile was sharp as a blade. "Actually, Your Majesty, his timing is perfect. I was just about to present evidence of his treachery."

Dread filled Aurelius's stomach. He was too late. Victor had already started his game.

"My king," Aurelius said desperately. "Whatever Victor has told you, it's lies. All of it. He's been planning to kill you."

Gasps echoed around the room. Several nobles stepped back like his words were poison.

"How dare you speak such words," Lord Caswell said. His face was red with anger. "Victor has served the crown faithfully for years."

"He's planning a coup," Aurelius shouted. His voice getting louder with desperation. "He's going to bring in Marcus as a witness. Marcus will say I offered him gold to betray you. But it's all fake. Victor tortured him."

The throne room went dead quiet. Every eye stared at him with horror and confusion.

"Marcus?" King Aldric whispered. "What are you talking about? How do you know about Marcus?"

Victor's eyes went wide with fake shock. "My lord, this proves he has been planning this longer than we thought. He already knows about the witness we were going to bring."

"No," Aurelius said desperately. "I can explain. There's something happening here. Something impossible. I've lived through this before. I know what's going to happen."

More gasps. Lady Morwen whispered something about madness and fever dreams to the man beside her.

King Aldric's face filled with pain. "Aurelius, my boy. What is wrong with you?"

Blue words flashed urgently.

[MISSION: PREVENT THE HIGH KING'S ASSASSINATION]

[TIME REMAINING: 2 MINUTES]

[WARNING: HOST BEHAVIOR ERRATIC]

Two minutes. Was it two minutes already? What assassination? Didn't that take a week?

"My king," Aurelius begged. "Just listen to me. I've lived through all these, Victor is not the man you think he..."

"Enough," Victor said sharply. He signaled to the guards. "Can you not see? He has clearly lost his mind. All this talk of living through events before and knowing the future."

"I'm not mad," Aurelius snarled. "I'm trying to save him from you."

The side door opened right on schedule. Two guards dragged in a beaten man in First Order colors. Blood ran from his nose and mouth.

Sir Marcus. Just like before.

"No," Aurelius whispered. It was happening exactly the same way. It really wasn't some weird dream.

"Tell His Majesty what you told me," Victor said to Marcus.

Marcus raised his bloody face. His eyes found Aurelius and filled with shame. "Commander Aurelius... he offered me gold to join his cause. Said the king was weak. Said we needed a strong leader."

The words hit like physical blows. Even knowing they were coming, they still hurt.

"Marcus, look at me," Aurelius said desperately. "You know that's not true. He tortured you into saying this. Remember who you really serve."

But Marcus just stared at the floor. Broken and afraid.

King Aldric's face crumpled with grief. "My boy, why? I loved you like a son. I gave you everything."

"Because I never betrayed you," Aurelius said. His voice cracked with emotion. "Victor is the traitor. He's been planning this for years."

Blue words suddenly flashed urgently.

[TIME REMAINING: 10 SECONDS]

[MISSION CRITICAL]

[PREPARE FOR COMBAT]

Ten seconds. What was going to happen in ten seconds?

Victor suddenly cursed loud enough for everyone to hear. "Damn it all. You're forcing my hand earlier than I planned."

He pulled a knife from his robes. The blade flashed in the morning light as he moved toward the king.

"Victor, what are you doing?" King Aldric asked in confusion.

"What I should have done years ago," Victor snarled. He grabbed the old man's hair and pulled his head back. "You're too weak to rule. Too soft to protect humanity."

The knife sliced across the king's throat. Blood poured down his chest as his eyes went wide with shock.

"No!" Aurelius screamed.

The throne room exploded into chaos. Nobles screamed and ran for the doors.

"Murder!" Lord Caswell shouted. "The king is dead!"

"Help us!" Lady Morwen cried. "Someone help!"

"Run!" another noble yelled. "Save yourselves!"

Some tried to hide behind pillars. Others pushed and shoved to escape through the side doors. A few stood frozen in shock, staring at the blood pooling around the throne.

But the guards didn't move to help the king. They turned their swords on Aurelius instead.

Victor's men. They'd been his all along. He realized with a sinking feeling.

Aurelius drew his sword and backed toward the wall. Five guards advanced on him with murder in their eyes.

"Kill him," Victor ordered. "Make it look like he was fighting arrest."

Steel rang against steel as Aurelius fought for his life. He was good, but five against one were terrible odds. They drove him back step by step.

Around them, nobles kept screaming and running. Some tried to help but the guards pushed them away.

A sword cut across Aurelius's shoulder. Another found his leg. Blood ran down his armor as he kept fighting.

The king's body lay still on his throne. Blood pooled on the marble floor beneath him. The good man was dead, and Aurelius had failed again.

Rage exploded in his chest. Raw fury that made him forget about defense. He threw himself at his attackers with wild abandon.

His sword found throats and hearts. Two guards fell before the others could react. But more were coming through the doors.

Too many. He couldn't fight them all. So he took the next best step, he ran.

"The murderer is escaping," Victor shouted above the chaos. "Stop him! Don't let the king's killer get away!"

Aurelius broke away and ran for the nearest exit. Blood loss made him dizzy, but fear kept him moving.

Blue words flashed as he stumbled into the hallway.

[MISSION FAILED]

[HIGH KING STATUS: DECEASED]

[NEW OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE]

[SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: ESCAPE PALACE]

He'd failed. Again. The king was dead, and this time it was his fault for warning Victor too early.

Boots thundered behind him as guards gave chase. Aurelius ran through the palace corridors, leaving a trail of blood on the stone floors.

"There he goes!" someone shouted. "The traitor who killed our king!"

"Stop him!" another voice called. "Don't let him escape!"

Servants screamed and pressed against the walls as he passed. Their faces showed fear and hatred. They believed Victor's lies.

He had to get out. Had to escape and figure out what went wrong.

Behind him, Victor's voice echoed through the halls like a curse.

"Find him! Bring me the head of the king's murderer!"