The Amnesiac Sovereign

Chapter 20: The Seventh General

The burning message remained suspended in the fractured sky.

SOVEREIGN.

COME ALONE.

OR WATCH YOUR GENERAL DIE.

Every citizen in the City of Echoes could see it.

Millions of eyes stared upward.

Whispers spread through the streets.

The Sovereign had returned.

The Seventh General had issued a challenge.

And somewhere in the Shadow Realm, a war was beginning.

Inside the black tower, the atmosphere was tense.

The Shadow Queen dismissed the magical screens displaying the city.

The room immediately darkened.

Nobody spoke for several moments.

Then Aurelius broke the silence.

"It's a trap."

Selene rolled her eyes.

"Obviously."

Aurelius looked mildly offended.

The Shadow Queen sighed.

"Thank you both for your incredible insight."

Even Ethan almost smiled.

Almost.

The situation was serious, but it was impossible not to notice how naturally these ancient beings argued.

As though five thousand years had never passed.

Eventually Ethan focused.

"Will Darius kill Kael?"

The room became quiet again.

This time, nobody answered immediately.

That alone was concerning.

Finally, the Shadow Queen spoke.

"No."

Ethan frowned.

"No?"

She shook her head.

"Darius doesn't need Kael dead."

"Yet."

The final word carried weight.

Aurelius stepped forward.

"He needs something first."

The pieces began fitting together.

"The fragment."

Aurelius nodded.

"Most likely."

The explanation made sense.

If Kael still possessed the third fragment, killing him prematurely would accomplish nothing.

Darius would want answers.

Access.

Control.

Something.

The problem was that nobody knew exactly how much time remained.

Kael was alive.

For now.

That wasn't good enough.

Ethan's decision was immediate.

"We leave now."

Nobody objected.

Because everyone had already reached the same conclusion.

An hour later, the City of Echoes disappeared behind them.

Four figures traveled across the Shadow Realm.

Ethan.

Selene.

Aurelius.

The Shadow Queen.

Their destination lay deep within the Shattered Expanse.

The journey itself was dangerous.

The Shadow Realm wasn't stable.

Entire sections of reality shifted unexpectedly.

Mountains appeared where none existed before.

Spatial storms devoured valleys.

Ancient creatures wandered the wilderness.

Several times, they were forced to change course entirely.

Yet they continued moving.

Fast.

Relentless.

Hours passed.

The landscape gradually transformed.

The further they traveled, the stranger everything became.

Floating islands drifted overhead.

Fragments of broken cities hung suspended in the air.

Rivers flowed upward instead of downward.

Reality itself appeared damaged.

Eventually, the Shadow Queen stopped.

"We're here."

Ethan looked ahead.

And immediately understood.

The Shattered Expanse.

The name was accurate.

Nothing looked normal.

Massive cracks stretched across the world.

Some extended into the sky itself.

Others descended into endless darkness.

Spatial energy leaked from every direction.

The entire region resembled a broken mirror.

At the center stood a fortress.

Black stone.

Towering walls.

Countless defensive formations.

The structure appeared less like a fortress and more like a kingdom designed solely for war.

Darius' stronghold.

Aurelius studied it silently.

Then his expression darkened.

"He's expecting us."

The answer was obvious.

Thousands of figures lined the walls.

Soldiers.

Cultivators.

Mercenaries.

Archers.

An entire army.

Waiting.

Watching.

Prepared.

The Shadow Queen frowned.

"That's more than expected."

Ethan noticed something else.

The gates stood open.

Wide open.

Nobody guarded the entrance.

No barriers blocked the path.

No traps appeared visible.

The invitation felt deliberate.

Calculated.

Dangerous.

Then applause echoed across the battlefield.

Slow.

Measured.

Confident.

A lone figure appeared atop the fortress walls.

Tall.

Broad-shouldered.

Clad in dark armor.

A crimson cloak flowed behind him.

His hair was black.

His eyes burned gold.

And unlike Aurelius or Kael...

The moment Ethan saw him, no pleasant memories appeared.

No warmth.

No friendship.

No loyalty.

Only battle.

Only blood.

Only conflict.

The man's smile widened.

"So."

His voice carried effortlessly across the battlefield.

"The Sovereign arrived."

Silence followed.

Neither side moved.

The man slowly spread his arms.

"As promised."

A massive screen of light appeared above the fortress.

A prison cell materialized within it.

Kael.

The Third General.

Chained.

Bloodied.

Barely conscious.

The sight immediately hardened Ethan's expression.

Kael looked terrible.

Far worse than expected.

One eye remained closed.

Ancient wounds covered his body.

Yet somehow he was still alive.

The prisoner's head slowly lifted.

His gaze found Ethan.

Then he laughed.

Actually laughed.

Despite everything.

"You're late."

Aurelius sighed.

"There he is."

Even Selene shook her head.

Some people never changed.

Darius looked amused.

Then his expression became serious.

"Now."

His golden eyes locked onto Ethan.

"Let's discuss terms."

Ethan remained silent.

Darius didn't seem bothered.

Instead, he began walking along the wall.

Like a lecturer addressing students.

Comfortable.

Confident.

Completely in control.

"You want Kael."

He pointed toward the prison image.

"I want the fragment."

Reasonable.

At least on the surface.

Then Darius smiled.

"A simple exchange."

Nobody believed him.

Not even slightly.

The Shadow Queen folded her arms.

"You expect us to trust you?"

Darius laughed.

"No."

The honesty surprised everyone.

The Seventh General stopped walking.

Then looked directly at Ethan.

"And that's the problem."

Silence.

Darius continued.

"Nobody trusts anyone anymore."

His smile faded.

"For good reason."

The atmosphere changed.

Subtly.

Dangerously.

Then Darius said something unexpected.

Something nobody saw coming.

"Tell me, Sovereign."

His golden eyes narrowed.

"When Kael warned you not to trust someone..."

A pause followed.

The battlefield became silent.

Then Darius finished the sentence.

"...did you ever wonder who he meant?"

Ethan's eyes narrowed.

The unfinished warning.

The one cut off before Kael disappeared.

Don't trust...

The memory immediately resurfaced.

Darius smiled.

A predator sensing weakness.

Then he pointed.

Not at Aurelius.

Not at Selene.

Not at the Shadow Queen.

At Kael.

The battlefield froze.

Even Kael stopped smiling.

Darius' voice echoed across the shattered world.

"The person Kael wanted to warn you about..."

Another pause.

Then came the bombshell.

"...was himself."

Silence exploded across the battlefield.

Absolute silence.

No movement.

No sound.

Nothing.

The claim hung in the air like a blade.

And for the first time since arriving...

Even Ethan didn't know what to believe.