The throne room of the Valerian Kingdom was a monument to power and legacy. Vaulted ceilings stretched forty feet overhead, supported by columns carved from single pieces of marble that depicted the kingdom's greatest victories.

Tapestries older than most noble houses hung between stained glass windows, each one chronicling battles where awakened warriors had defended the realm against dimensional threats.

King Kendrick gripped the arms of the Eternal Throne hard enough that his knuckles had gone white. At fifty three, he'd weathered the initial crisis three days ago with barely controlled rage.

Now, with fifty two survivors extracted and one hundred forty eight confirmed dead, that rage had crystallized into something colder and more dangerous the fury of a father who'd failed to protect his children and would ensure it never happened again.

The King's eyes were shadowed with exhaustion that seventy two hours of crisis management had carved into his features. His hair, more silver than black, seemed to have gained new gray streaks in just three days.

But his essence signature still burned with the intensity of someone who'd reached the

pinnacle of Master rank decades ago and never stopped refining his capabilities. Scars visible on his hands and neck spoke of a ruler who'd earned his position through combat as much as birthright.

The chamber was filled with the kingdom's highest ranking military and security personnel. Three King's Guard Captains stood in formation to the King's right elite warriors who'd earned their positions through exceptional combat merit.

To his left, three Military Lieutenants represented different divisions of the kingdom's armed forces, their uniforms bearing insignia of frontier defense, tactical operations, and dimensional threat response.

Colonel Hestian stood near the throne's base, his exhaustion mirroring the King's own. The rescue operation had taken everything he had, and the visible strain showed in the tight lines around his eyes and the hoarseness in his voice when he'd delivered his preliminary report.

A figure in hunter's leathers occupied a position near the wall Guild Master Torrhen of the Hunter's Guild, his weathered face and scarred hands speaking of decades tracking dimensional beasts and managing the

kingdom's most dangerous contracts.

His presence represented the civilian

awakened community's interests in matters that affected dimensional security.

And closest to the King stood Lord Chancellor Veros, the elderly advisor who'd served three generations of Valerian rulers. His formal robes and measured bearing spoke of someone who'd navigated countless political crises with careful diplomacy though even he looked shaken by the magnitude of this disaster.

Captain Aldric stood at attention in the center, preparing to deliver his full report to this assembled leadership. The same Captain Aldric who'd stood in the war chamber three days ago, hearing the King's

promise to bring the children home.

"Your Majesty, as of 0800 hours this morning, we have successfully extracted fifty two students from the dimensional rift that

consumed the Academy's Arena Combat exercise."

King Kendrick's jaw clenched, and for a moment the assembled leadership saw the same raw fury that had filled the initial war council. "One hundred forty eight dead. One hundred forty eight children who trusted us to keep them safe." His voice carried the weight of personal failure, not political calculation. "Continue, Captain."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Aldric's tone carried the

weight of those numbers the brutal mathematics of catastrophic failure. "The remaining one hundred forty eight are confirmed deceased based on survivor testimony and reconnaissance data. The realm's collapse has been accelerating, and Master Vex estimates complete dimensional fragmentation occurred approximately two hours ago."

Around the chamber, the assembled military leadership showed varying degrees of controlled anger and grief. Two hundred students many from noble houses, some from military families, all representing the kingdom's future generation of awakened warriors reduced to fifty two survivors.

One of the King's Guard Captains a woman with ice manipulation abilities evident in the frost patterns decorating her uniform's edges spoke up. "Captain Aldric, what security protocols failed to prevent this disaster? The Academy's dimensional protective array have operated safely for fifty years."

"That investigation is ongoing, Captain Frost," Aldric replied carefully. "Master Vex's preliminary assessment suggests the rift was an unprecedented anomaly something that shouldn't have been possible within the Academy's shielded training grounds. Whether it represents equipment failure, external interference, or a genuine gap in our understanding of dimensional physics... we don't yet know."

"Don't yet know." King Kendrick's voice carried dangerous quiet. "Three days ago I stood in the war chamber and authorized

full mobilization because we didn't know who attacked our children. Now you're telling me we still don't know how they did it." He leaned forward, exhaustion and fury combining into something razor sharp. "Explain the rescue operation. How was extraction possible if the rift was as unstable as reported?"

"Lord Lucian Valorian volunteered to serve as an essence anchor," Aldric reported. "Master Vex used experimental dimensional manipulation techniques to force a controlled portal open. The operation was successful, but Lord Valorian's essence reserves were completely depleted in the process. He's currently under medical observation and is expected to make a full recovery."

Guild Master Torrhen spoke for the first time, his rough voice carrying the weight of practical experience. "Captain, the Hunter's

Guild has documented seventeen major dimensional incursions over the past decade. Every one resulted in complete loss of personnel who were pulled through. This is the first successful rescue operation from an uncontrolled rift in recorded history. What made it possible?"

"Lord Valorian's willingness to sacrifice his essence reserves as an anchor point," Aldric replied. "Without his Master rank capacity and sustained output, Master Vex couldn't have maintained the portal long enough for extraction. Additionally, Colonel Hestian and Professor Leo provided security at the threshold, preventing hostile entities from crossing while survivors were evacuated."

Colonel Hestian stepped forward slightly, his voice hoarse. "Your Majesty, the security situation at the portal was complex. We

encountered significant beast presence attempting to cross the threshold, but

also something more concerning."

"Define concerning, Colonel." King Kendrick's attention fixed on Hestian with burning intensity.

"A corrupted hive mind entity, Your Majesty. Twelve feet tall, composed of branded students who'd been claimed by some form of corruption. The entity demonstrated Master rank output and coordinated control

over dozens of corrupted individuals simultaneously. Professor Leo and I were

forced to eliminate it to secure the extraction point."

King Kendrick's fist came down on the throne's armrest not with the explosive rage of three days ago, but with controlled violence that was somehow more frightening. "They weren't just killed. They were corrupted. Turned into weapons against their own classmates." His voice

dropped to something deadly quiet. "What kind of enemy does that to

children?"

The chamber fell into profound silence. No one had an answer that would satisfy a king who viewed every Academy student as his

responsibility.

One of the Military Lieutenants a man with tactical operations insignia leaned forward carefully. "Your Majesty, Colonel, are

you saying students were corrupted and converted into extensions of a hostile

entity? Within hours of exposure?"

"Yes, Lieutenant." Hestian's exhaustion made his voice rough. "The corruption spread through blood contact and appeared to rewrite essence signatures at a fundamental level. Professor Leo was forced to perform emergency amputation on one student to prevent her corruption from

becoming irreversible."

Lord Chancellor Veros spoke up, his diplomatic voice carrying across the chamber. "Your Majesty, the political ramifications of this information are severe. If families learn that their children weren't

simply killed by beasts, but were corrupted and forced to fight against rescue

teams "

"Then families learn the truth," King Kendrick

interrupted, his voice carrying the same fury that had characterized the initial war council. "I will not add insult to their grief by hiding how their children died. They trusted us with their sons and daughters, Veros. The

least we owe them is honesty about what happened."

The Lord Chancellor fell silent, recognizing when the King's mind was set.

"What threats did the rescue teams encounter beyond the hive mind entity?" King Kendrick demanded, his gaze returning to Aldric.

"Significant beast presence throughout the realm, Your Majesty. Multiple species classifications, ranging from A Class to S Class entities. The corpse field terrain made navigation treacherous, and dimensional

instability created environmental hazards throughout. Additionally..."

Aldric paused, choosing his words carefully, "one of the survivors reported evidence of intelligent presence in the dimensional rift. Artificial structures. Deliberate construction."

Every person in the chamber tensed. King Kendrick's expression shifted from fury to something more calculating the look of a

strategist recognizing that the threat was even worse than initially assessed.

"Explain," the King commanded.

"Student testimony suggests the realm contained areas of carved stone and deliberate architecture not natural cave formations, but constructed facilities. The student couldn't provide specific details due to limited exposure and focus on survival, but the implication is that dimensional

rifts aren't empty space. Some may be claimed territory with organized

inhabitants."

Captain Frost exchanged glances with her fellow King's Guard Captains. "Your Majesty, that matches classified intelligence from border conflicts over the past five years. We've encountered evidence of organized

presence in dimensional space, but kept it restricted to Master rank leadership

to avoid panic."

"Well, it's no longer restricted," King Kendrick said flatly, his voice carrying exhausted fury. "If first year Academy students are encountering organized dimensional threats, then the situation has escalated beyond what classification can contain.

Three days ago I authorized full mobilization based on the threat of white rift creation. Now you're

telling me those white rifts might connect to claimed territory with organized

inhabitants who corrupt our children into weapons?"

The King rubbed his temples, the weight of command evident in every gesture. "Guild Master Torrhen, has the Hunter's Guild documented

similar findings?"

The weathered guild master nodded gravely. "We've lost three veteran hunting teams over the past eighteen months to dimensional rifts that showed signs of deliberate modification. Carved passages, constructed

barriers, evidence of intelligent habitation. We reported it to military intelligence, but without survivors to provide detailed testimony, our documentation was inconclusive."

"Now we have survivor testimony," King Kendrick observed, his voice rough. "Captain Aldric, which student provided this

intelligence?"

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