The wind was unnaturally silent as the message arrived. The elite eagle squadron of King Nathan descended over the Persia Dukedom, bearing news too heavy for any court to bear lightly.
The royal hall fell into stunned silence as the scroll was read aloud: "The Kingdom of Leaf... has fallen. By the hands of one man."
Gasps echoed, but no one dared to speak. Queen Elizabeth covered her mouth in disbelief, her eyes flickering toward Mary, who stood frozen, tears welling up. Janet was safe—this much the scroll confirmed. But what it revealed next chilled every soul present.
Sion Ragnar had unleashed a fury not even the heavens had witnessed before. In the name of his sister, he had extinguished an entire kingdom from the map.
Mary clutched her chest as tears spilled down her face. "My son… what have you become?" she whispered. But even through her sorrow, there was pride—fierce and aching. "He did it for his sister. For Janet."
Janet, still recovering from her ordeal, sat quietly, holding tightly to her mother's hand. Her eyes, though dimmed from shock, carried the weight of guilt. "He didn't even hesitate… He burned the world for me."
Back in the charred remains of what once was the mighty Leaf Kingdom, Sion stood alone, overlooking the blackened ruins of the capital. The skies above still bore smoke from the destruction. The air reeked of death and blood. And yet, in his arms, Janet had survived.
Raphael stood beside him, unusually silent. Even the divine angel had no prayers left to say.
Sion's voice broke the stillness. "This… was necessary." He looked toward the horizon, eyes narrowed. "Let this serve as a warning. No one lays a hand on my family."
His tone was not filled with triumph, but finality. He had crossed a line—and there was no going back.
Back in Persia, King Nathan called for an emergency war council. The throne of Leaf now stood empty, and the region, rich in resources and strategically vital, could not remain in chaos.
"I declare the former Leaf Kingdom to be under the protection of the Clover Crown," the King announced. "We will rebuild it—not as a kingdom—but as a territory of unity. Under Sion's watch."
Duke John, pale and silent since his daughter's rescue, nodded. "Sion has earned more than our respect. He has earned the fear of nations."
Sara and Katherine, both sitting near the council's edge, shared a knowing look. This wasn't just about war anymore. It was about power. And Sion had stepped into the shadow of something greater.
The world would remember this day—not for the fall of Leaf—but for the rise of a force that no kingdom, no army, and no god would dare challenge.
The beast had awakened. And the world had changed.