The doors to the royal chamber slowly opened.
The sound of heavy metal echoed throughout the vast hall.
Commander Sirvan entered with steady steps. Beside him walked Eyria, her eyes sharp with focus, her face carrying a mixture of exhaustion and authority.
The chamber was crowded with important figures.
The King sat upon his throne, with the Queen beside him, her expression calm.
A few steps away stood their young daughter, Fiona, only five years old. She held her mother's hand and looked around with innocent curiosity.
The Kingdom's Grand General, the Captain of the Capital Guard, and the ministers of the Royal Council were all present.
Everyone was waiting to hear the report about what had happened in Canria.
One of the ministers stepped forward.
His tone was stern.
"Tell us, Commander Sirvan... What happened in Canria? And how did we lose it so easily?"
Sirvan answered in his usual calm voice.
But inside, he was burning with anger.
"The attack was sudden, Your Excellency. There was no warning, and we had no opportunity to prepare. The enemies weren't attacking randomly... The entire assault was carefully planned."
The General intervened with a mocking tone.
"Carefully planned? By whom? Savage beasts with no minds?"
Sirvan raised his eyes toward him.
His voice hardened.
"They weren't ordinary beasts."
He paused.
"After the first waves, Dark King III appeared... accompanied by monstrous soldiers with humanoid forms and glowing eyes."
The chamber fell silent.
"We fought with everything we had, but their objective wasn't to conquer Canria..."
Sirvan's expression darkened.
"It was to destroy it completely."
Silence filled the chamber.
The King spoke thoughtfully:
"Canria? It is a beautiful village, yes... But why would they attack it?"
He leaned slightly forward.
"Nothing like this has ever happened there before... despite its distance from our defensive lines."
The ministers exchanged suspicious glances.
Everyone began to think.
Then Eyria broke the silence.
"Your Majesty... Perhaps Canria wasn't as ordinary as we believed."
The King raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean? Is there something special about it?"
One of the ministers spoke skeptically:
"It is a prosperous village. It has water, farmland, and a peaceful location... But it has little strategic value."
He paused.
"Not even military value."
Eyria lowered her head slightly.
Then she continued:
"When we were fighting... Sirvan and I... against Dark King III, he used an ability unlike anything I had ever seen."
The room became completely still.
"He gathered all the energy within the surrounding area and condensed it into a massive sphere of darkness."
Her voice became more serious.
"It was going to destroy everything."
She hesitated for a moment.
Then looked directly at the King.
"And then..."
She paused.
"We woke up in the capital's courtyard."
Whispers spread throughout the chamber.
One of the ministers instinctively stepped backward, unable to believe what he had just heard.
The Queen shifted uneasily.
Fiona tightened her grip on her mother's hand.
The King stared at Eyria in disbelief.
"You woke up here? In the capital?"
His eyes widened.
"Without a transport gate?"
Sirvan continued Eyria's explanation.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
He took a breath.
"Eyria, myself, and... Mark's son, the child Aether. We were on the verge of death."
His expression became solemn.
"Then, without warning, we suddenly found ourselves here."
A heavy silence settled over the chamber.
One of the ministers slowly raised his eyes.
"Was it magic?"
He paused.
"Or something else?"
No one answered.
The King stared deeply at Sirvan.
His expression changed from confusion...
to concern.
Finally, he spoke:
"It seems what happened in Canria... is far beyond anything we imagined."