Stone rained from the ceiling as the Hall of Oaths shook violently.
Ancient pillars groaned under the strain, cracks racing through the sacred chamber.
"Move!" Darius shouted.
The recruits scattered just as one of the towering pillars crashed onto the platform, sending fragments of stone flying in every direction.
The False Queen stood untouched.
A shimmering violet barrier surrounded her, deflecting every piece of falling debris before it could reach her.
She smiled.
"Still protecting everyone, Emerald?"
Her voice echoed through the chamber.
"You truly are your mother's daughter."
Emerald stepped forward, her sword drawn.
"And you're nothing like her."
For the first time, the Queen's smile faded.
"You never knew your mother."
"No."
Emerald's grip tightened.
"But I know what she died protecting."
The Queen's eyes flashed with anger.
"She died because she was weak."
"No."
Emerald's mark blazed brighter.
"She died because she chose love over power."
Before another word could be spoken, the Queen slammed the base of her staff against the stone floor.
A wave of dark magic erupted outward.
Jagged spikes of black crystal burst from the ground, separating Emerald from her friends.
"Noah!" Emerald cried.
"I'm okay!" his voice echoed from the other side.
Sara and Sam fought to break through the crystal wall, but every strike was absorbed by the enchanted stone.
Varak roared and charged.
The Guardian crashed into the barrier protecting the Queen.
The impact shook the chamber.
The barrier flickered...
...but it did not break.
The Queen looked almost amused.
"You were always loyal, Varak."
"I was loyal to the throne."
Varak struck again.
"Never to you."
Meanwhile, the Royal Legion flooded into the chamber.
Hunters and recruits stood shoulder to shoulder, forming a defensive line.
Darius lifted his spear.
"Hunters!"
His soldiers looked at him uncertainly.
Some glanced toward the Queen.
Others looked to Emerald.
For the first time in generations...
The Hunters had to choose.
Darius removed the silver insignia from his armor.
The symbol of the Hunters.
He let it fall to the floor.
Its sharp clang echoed through the chamber.
"Our oath was never to destroy the royal bloodline."
He looked each of his soldiers in the eye.
"It was to protect the balance."
He turned and stood beside Emerald.
"I know where I stand."
One by one...
The Hunters stepped forward.
They removed their insignias and dropped them beside Darius's.
The sound of metal striking stone echoed through the hall.
Not every Hunter joined him.
Nearly half remained with the Queen.
The chamber erupted into chaos.
Hunter fought Hunter.
Old brothers-in-arms suddenly found themselves on opposite sides of the battlefield.
Emerald watched with a heavy heart.
This wasn't just a battle.
It was the breaking of centuries of lies.
Across the chamber, the Queen's smile returned.
"Excellent."
She clapped her hands once.
"You've saved me the trouble of finding the traitors."
She raised her staff.
Dark portals opened throughout the chamber.
From each one emerged towering creatures clad in black armor, their empty helmets glowing with violet fire.
The recruits froze.
"What are those?" Kael whispered.
"The Hollow Guard," Elara answered grimly.
"They were once the Queen's personal knights."
"Were?"
"They died protecting the palace."
The realization hit everyone at once.
The Queen had raised them from the dead.
The Hollow Guard charged.
Their swords carved through stone as if it were wood.
One reached a terrified recruit before anyone else could react.
Sara intercepted the strike.
The force threw her backward, but she remained standing.
"Get them out of here!" she shouted.
Sam began leading the youngest recruits toward a narrow passage at the rear of the chamber.
"We're not leaving you!" one cried.
"You'll only slow us down if you stay!" Sam replied firmly.
As the recruits disappeared into the tunnel, Emerald noticed something.
The Queen wasn't trying to stop them.
She wasn't interested in the others.
She wanted only one thing.
Emerald.
Their eyes met across the battlefield.
"My dear niece," the Queen called.
"You still don't understand why I cursed you."
Emerald slowly approached.
"You wanted the throne."
"Of course I did."
The Queen's voice remained calm.
"But not for the reason you believe."
She pointed toward the ceiling.
"You've seen only the Human World and the Underworld."
"There is another realm."
"A realm sealed long before you were born."
Elara's face turned pale.
"No..."
The Queen laughed softly.
"You never told her?"
"Told me what?" Emerald demanded.
Elara looked away.
The Queen answered instead.
"The Emerald Throne isn't merely a throne."
She smiled.
"It's a lock."
A cold silence settled over the chamber.
"The moment the true queen claims it..."
The Queen's smile widened.
"...the seal protecting the Third Realm will begin to fail."
Noah looked toward Elara.
"Is she lying?"
Elara hesitated.
Then, with visible sorrow, she whispered,
"No."
Emerald's world seemed to stop.
"My mother..."
"...knew," Elara finished.
"So did your father."
Emerald stared at her in disbelief.
"Then why would they want me to become queen?"
"Because they believed," Elara said, tears forming in her eyes,
"that the true ruler would also know how to protect the seal."
The Queen laughed.
"Such faith."
She pointed her staff directly at Emerald.
"I have no interest in protecting it."
"I intend to break it."
Dark energy erupted from the staff.
Emerald raised her sword just in time.
The two forces collided, filling the Hall of Oaths with blinding green and violet light.
The shockwave threw everyone backward.
When the light faded...
Emerald was still standing.
Her sword trembled.
Tiny cracks spread across its emerald blade.
The Queen looked at it with satisfaction.
"Your father's sword."
She tilted her head.
"It won't survive another strike."
Emerald looked down at the weapon that had protected her for so long.
The cracks continued to spread.
The final battle was drawing closer.
And she was running out of time.