The Amnesiac Sovereign

Chapter 19: The Hunt Begins

Twenty-four hours.

The number echoed inside Ethan's mind.

Not a month.

Not a week.

Not even a few days.

Twenty-four hours.

That was all Kael had left.

The private chamber fell silent.

The Shadow Queen's expression remained grave.

Aurelius stood motionless.

Selene's eyes had grown cold.

Nobody questioned the warning.

Nobody suggested waiting.

If the Shadow Queen said Kael would die in twenty-four hours, then the situation was already critical.

Ethan slowly sat back down.

"Tell me everything."

The Shadow Queen nodded.

A wave of silver light spread from her fingertips.

The center of the room distorted.

A three-dimensional map appeared.

Mountains.

Canyons.

Ruins.

Countless regions unfolded before them.

The entire Shadow Realm.

Or at least a large portion of it.

Then one area began glowing crimson.

A jagged wasteland filled with floating rocks and broken space.

Even looking at it felt uncomfortable.

Reality seemed unstable there.

"What is that?"

"The Shattered Expanse."

The Shadow Queen's voice became quieter.

"One of the oldest regions in the Shadow Realm."

Ethan studied the map carefully.

The area looked less like a landscape and more like a wound carved into reality itself.

Aurelius frowned.

"Darius chose that place?"

The Shadow Queen nodded.

"Naturally."

Fenrir would have called it dramatic.

Aurelius simply looked annoyed.

The ruler of the Shadow Realm pointed toward the center of the crimson region.

A fortress appeared.

Black.

Massive.

Ancient.

Countless defensive structures surrounded it.

Even from the projection, the place radiated danger.

"Kael is being held here."

Silence followed.

Then Ethan asked the obvious question.

"How many enemies?"

The Shadow Queen sighed.

"A lot."

Not encouraging.

The map zoomed closer.

Several symbols appeared.

Each representing powerful individuals.

The number alone made Ethan frown.

Dozens.

Perhaps hundreds.

The Shadow Queen noticed.

"Those are only the important ones."

Wonderful.

That meant there were even more ordinary soldiers.

The ruler continued.

"Darius controls nearly one-third of the Shadow Realm."

"Mercenary armies."

"Assassins."

"Cultivators."

"Criminal organizations."

"He gathered followers for five thousand years."

Selene folded her arms.

"And Kael?"

The Shadow Queen became silent.

Then answered.

"He was alone."

The room fell quiet once more.

Aurelius closed his eyes briefly.

Ethan noticed.

The reaction wasn't guilt.

It looked closer to regret.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Because every new revelation painted a different picture of the Nine Betrayers.

Nothing matched the story Ethan originally imagined.

Nothing.

The Shadow Queen dismissed the map.

"We need a plan."

Aurelius immediately nodded.

"Agreed."

The room became focused.

Strategic.

Practical.

For the next hour, they discussed routes.

Entry points.

Defenses.

Possible ambushes.

Darius's known abilities.

Everything.

Ethan listened carefully.

The Seventh General sounded terrifying.

Not because he was stronger than everyone else.

Because he was patient.

Calculating.

Ruthless.

He spent five thousand years building influence while others disappeared.

That alone revealed dangerous intelligence.

Then another detail emerged.

One that immediately caught Ethan's attention.

"Darius possesses two Sovereign Flames."

The room became silent.

Ethan frowned.

"Two?"

The Shadow Queen nodded.

"Confirmed."

The implications were enormous.

Ethan only possessed one.

Yet Darius already controlled two.

That meant his authority had grown substantially.

No wonder he had become so powerful.

Aurelius' expression darkened.

"If he obtains the third fragment..."

Nobody finished the sentence.

They didn't need to.

The outcome would be disastrous.

The meeting continued.

Eventually, they settled on a simple conclusion.

There wasn't enough time for a large operation.

Speed mattered more than numbers.

A small team would move immediately.

Everyone else would become a liability.

The final group consisted of:

Ethan.

Aurelius.

Selene.

And the Shadow Queen.

Four people.

Against an army.

Reasonable.

At least by their standards.

Several hours later, preparations finished.

The fractured sky above the City of Echoes glowed strangely.

Dim silver light spread across the realm.

The equivalent of dawn.

Ethan stood atop the black tower.

The city stretched endlessly beneath him.

Thousands of lights illuminated the darkness.

For a brief moment, he simply observed.

Everything felt different now.

A week ago, he had been a discarded son-in-law.

Humiliated.

Mocked.

Powerless.

Now he stood inside another realm entirely.

Hunting ancient betrayers.

Recovering fragments of a forgotten throne.

The contrast was almost absurd.

Footsteps approached.

Selene stopped beside him.

Neither spoke immediately.

The wind carried strands of her black hair across her face.

Eventually, she broke the silence.

"You're thinking."

Ethan nodded.

"Always dangerous."

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

The sight surprised him.

Because for a moment, another memory surfaced.

The same smile.

Different location.

Different time.

Yet exactly the same warmth.

The memory vanished before he could grasp it.

Selene noticed his expression.

"Another fragment?"

"A memory."

She nodded.

Neither elaborated.

After a few moments, she looked toward the distant horizon.

Then quietly said:

"You don't have to trust me."

Ethan looked at her.

The statement felt random.

Unexpected.

Yet her expression remained serious.

"I know what it looks like."

Her voice softened.

"The betrayal."

"The throne."

"Everything."

Silence followed.

Then she smiled sadly.

"But one day..."

Her gaze remained fixed on the horizon.

"...you'll learn why I chose you over the heavens."

Before Ethan could respond—

BOOM!

A massive explosion shook the city.

The black tower trembled.

A shockwave rolled across the skyline.

Alarms immediately began sounding everywhere.

The Shadow Queen appeared instantly.

Her expression had become dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Aurelius arrived moments later.

His sword was already drawn.

"What happened?"

The Shadow Queen looked toward the eastern districts.

Flames illuminated the darkness.

Buildings collapsed.

People screamed.

And above it all—

A giant symbol burned across the fractured sky.

A crimson eye.

Watching.

Mocking.

Threatening.

The moment Ethan saw it, his soul reacted.

The second fragment trembled.

Hatred surged through him.

Pure instinctive hatred.

The Shadow Queen's voice became ice cold.

"Darius."

The answer was immediate.

Direct.

Certain.

Aurelius clenched his jaw.

"He's sending a message."

The crimson eye continued burning overhead.

Visible from every part of the city.

Then words appeared beneath it.

Written in fire.

Written for everyone to see.

Written specifically for Ethan.

The city collectively gasped.

Silence followed.

Then Ethan read the message.

SOVEREIGN.

COME ALONE.

OR WATCH YOUR GENERAL DIE.

The flames intensified.

The threat hung above the entire Shadow Realm.

Visible to millions.

Impossible to ignore.

Darius wasn't hiding anymore.

He wasn't waiting.

He wasn't afraid.

He was challenging Ethan directly.

And somehow...

That worried Ethan more than if the Seventh General had remained silent.

Because confident enemies were dangerous.

But enemies who wanted you to come?

Those were the truly frightening ones.