The system did not warn him.
It confirmed.
[Dynasty Event Activated]
Bloodline Visibility Threshold Reached
External Hostility Escalating
Hidden Condition
An Heir Must Be Revealed
Failure Result
Succession Instability
Coalition Invasion Acceleration
Blendi read the panel twice.
Slowly.
So this was the price.
A state strong enough to frighten empires could no longer hide behind a single name.
Lady Mira Kastrioti stood across the chamber, hands folded, eyes sharp.
"They will strike the bloodline," she said calmly. "Not the army."
Blendi nodded.
"They already decided," he replied. "We are only choosing how."
The Heir Appears
The doors opened.
A young boy stepped inside, no older than thirteen. Dark hair. Steady eyes. Too steady for his age.
The system reacted immediately.
[Bloodline Resonance Confirmed]
Name: Ardian Kastrioti
Relation: Direct Heir
Age: 13
Bloodline Compatibility: Exceptional
Potential Rating: S
The room seemed to tighten around him.
Captain Arben went to one knee without thinking.
So did two guards.
Blendi placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"You will not be crowned today," Blendi said quietly. "But you will be seen."
Ardian met his gaze.
"I am not afraid," he said.
The system chimed.
[Heir Trait Detected]
Unshaken Will
Effect
Heir assassination resistance increased
Elite unit loyalty increased near heir
Lady Mira exhaled softly.
"That trait appears rarely," she murmured.
Public Declaration
By nightfall, bells rang across Krujë.
Not alarm bells.
Ceremonial ones.
The heir stood beside Blendi on the battlements, torches lighting the stone.
Blendi spoke only one sentence.
"This is who will outlive me."
The system recorded it.
[Dynasty Declaration Complete]
Succession Stability: High
Internal Loyalty Surge
Foreign Target Priority Increased
Immediate Rewards
[Dynasty Milestone Achieved]
Rewards
Permanent morale bonus
Succession chaos reduced to minimal
Bloodline abilities scale faster
Gold Reward: 2,000
Elite Unit Reinforcement Granted
[Elite Unit Reinforcement]
Eagle Reapers +120
Stonewall Cohorts +100
Standing Army
13,220 → 13,440
Elite Units
980 → 1,100
But the system did not stop.
Assassination Attempt Detected
[Critical Threat]
Multiple Foreign Agents Infiltrated
Objective: Heir Elimination
Timeframe: 72 hours
Blendi's eyes hardened.
"So," he said softly. "They choose murder."
Captain Arben spoke instantly.
"My Sovereign. Permission to lock the city."
Blendi shook his head.
"No," he replied. "We hunt."
Counter Assassination Operation
[Special Operation Available]
Protective Encirclement
Decoy Exposure
Counter Elimination
Golden hint appeared.
(Counter Elimination unlocks fear rewards)
Blendi selected it.
Night of Knives
The city did not sleep.
Shadow units moved.
Ilir Dervishi's smugglers sealed routes.
Vesa Kodra's couriers vanished into roofs and alleys.
Nikollë Shpata intercepted coded prayers and merchant notes.
By dawn, blood stained three courtyards.
None of it Albanian.
[Operation Result]
Assassins Neutralized: 9
Captured Alive: 3
Affiliations
Ottoman Intelligence
Papal Network
Hungarian Crown Agent
Interrogation Outcome
One spoke before torture was even mentioned.
"They said the boy was the future," he gasped. "They said if he lives, Albania never falls."
Blendi nodded.
"They were correct."
Rewards Cascade
[Achievement: Bloodline Untouchable]
You defended the heir against multi nation assassination.
Rewards
Dynasty defense increased
Foreign assassination attempts rarer
Elite loyalty permanently increased
Gold Reward: 3,500
[Hidden Achievement]
The Line That Cannot Be Cut
Rewards
Bloodline abilities evolve faster
Nation stability persists through ruler death
Fear spreads to enemy courts
[Title Acquired]
Father of the Eternal State
Effects
Heir gains passive authority
Dynasty succession buffs doubled
Foreign powers hesitate before targeting bloodline again
Nation Status Update
Gold Reserves
11,680 → 17,180
Standing Army: 13,440
Elite Units: 1,100
Unity: Absolute
Dynasty Stability: Unbreakable
Coalition Confidence: Shaken
Eternal State Route Progress
48 percent
That night, Blendi stood alone with Ardian on the walls.
"You will not inherit a throne," Blendi said. "You will inherit a machine."
Ardian nodded slowly.
"I will learn how it works."
The system pulsed.
[Heir Training Path Available]
Upcoming
Heir stat growth
Dual ruler mechanics
Future era leadership bonuses
Blendi looked out across the mountains, where signal fires burned again.
Not warnings.
Questions.
The world was no longer asking if Albania would fall.
It was asking how many centuries it would last.