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Three hours ago.
In the Altar of the Emerald Moon, a group of trembling nobles clad in long green and red robes gasped at the delayed news. Communication from their dispatched forces had gone silent. Every Spirit Knight sent to "test" Louis's abilities—and perhaps eliminate him outright—had perished gruesomely. Worse, the Emerald Moon revealed that two captured souls had been interrogated, confirming Louis and his companions were far more dangerous than anyone had imagined.
The realization that Benladra's son, long dismissed as a talentless cripple, might have awakened his dragon powers sent chills down the cowardly noble's spine. His eyes darted frantically as panic set in. His planned invasion army remained incomplete, and with five of his strongest knights gone, his forces looked weaker than ever. The possibility that Louis had summoned reinforcements haunted him. If Gustaf—the King himself—arrived, death was certain.
