Chapter 5: Crossing the Shadows
As the sun rose high above the Empire, somewhere deep beneath the Emperor's palace, a figure moved stealthily through the darkness.
He wore old, tattered clothes, like a beggar, and walked with hesitant, uneasy steps, carrying a lantern whose green flame flickered as if it were alive.
He kept glancing nervously left and right, moving as though terrified of being seen.
The strange thing was — the flame cast no shadow.
He opened a heavy door, revealing a maze of branching stairways, each leading to another door.
He continued descending deeper and deeper until he reached a massive door, lockless yet carved with ancient letters and mysterious symbols.
The lantern's glow suddenly intensified.
The man whispered aloud:
> "So... this is the place I've been seeking."
He began muttering in an unfamiliar language, the words soft and unclear.
Then, the great door creaked open by itself, and he stepped inside.
The green flame blazed even brighter in the middle of the darkness — and suddenly, the door slammed shut behind him.
He smiled faintly and murmured:
> "The true board... it's here."
He was speaking to himself, staring at the black king's stone, upon which a white serpent was coiled —
the opposite of the Emperor's meeting hall, where the white king's stone bore a black serpent.
As the lantern's glow spread, it illuminated a neglected corner of the hall —
and there, he saw a broken mirror.
---
At that very moment, in the Emperor's bedchamber...
The Emperor lay asleep on his silk-covered bed, but his breathing was heavy — troubled, as if he were trapped in a nightmare.
^^He dreamed of the Empire engulfed in flames.
His crown soaked in blood.
His royal garments torn apart.
A sword driven deep into his throne.
And before that throne stood a faceless figure, silent and still.
Shattered pieces of a mirror glimmered on the floor.
Everything was blurred and distorted — yet terrifying enough to jolt him awake, drenched in sweat, eyes wide with fear.^^
He rose in panic, reaching for a drink of water.
But as he drank, his hand trembled, and the glass slipped from his grasp, shattering on the floor.
He stood there, dazed, muttering to himself:
> "The mirror... no, not the mirror... no one must touch it... except me... Freya..."
Without another thought, he rushed out of his chamber.
The guards, startled by his disheveled state, called out to ask if he was all right —
but he ignored them, his eyes wide and haunted.
---
Meanwhile, in the village of Kazbona...
Diana was tending to a young boy who had injured his leg while playing in an abandoned house.
Despite his broken foot, the child did not cry — his face was blank, emotionless, his eyes strangely still.
Diana, being someone who rarely paid attention to details, didn't think much of it.
After finishing the treatment and preparing to leave, she was stopped by the old blind woman leaning against the wall.
The woman said softly:
> "Young girl, thank you for caring for my little one.
It means much to our tribe... for you have tended to the Heir."
Diana didn't understand what the old woman meant — she smiled politely, assuming it was just a strange remark, and then walked away.
Diana walked along a dusty path leading to the outskirts of the village, the soft breeze playing through her hair.
Ahead of her, she saw Frank walking with steady steps despite his obvious fatigue, a bundle of firewood strapped to his back.
She greeted him warmly, and he returned the gesture with a tired smile.
They continued walking side by side.
Frank said,
> "Given everything that's happening, you're the only one still helping people for free.
These days, money means nothing — people trade food supplies for every favor."
Diana smiled gently.
> "It's my duty. I'm the only one in the village considered a healer... and don't forget who my father is."
Frank chuckled, impressed by her confidence.
> "It's good that Dagus had a daughter he could rely on.
Most men either never marry — or when they do, fate gives them a daughter instead of a son."
Diana had often wondered about something but had always been too shy to ask.
Now, with the conversation flowing, she found her chance.
> "Mister Frank," she said hesitantly, her eyes fixed on the ground,
"May I ask you something that's always puzzled me?"
Frank glanced at her, already guessing the kind of question she was about to ask.
She continued softly,
> "Who are you?
How did you come to our village?
Where is your family?
Do you... have children?
Even when I ask my father about you, he never answers me!"
Frank sighed deeply, his expression unreadable.
He didn't know how to respond — so he simply stayed silent and kept walking.
When they finally reached one of the village houses, he dropped off the bundle of firewood without saying a word.
---
Elsewhere, near the site of the northern collapse, the soldiers had set up camp as ordered.
During the night watch, one of the guards noticed something moving among the trees of the Black Forest.