"I'll keep this brief," King Rodain said, looking across the room at his knights. "We may be facing a threat to the kingdom."
The Libeon order stood in rows before the throne, armored and silent. When the King called a full assembly, it was never good.
"Our border wards have been fluctuating for the past few days. The mages can't explain it and the guild hasn't reported anything unusual, which means whatever is causing it isn't something we've dealt with before."
He paused, "I want the order on standby until we know more. I'm not sending anyone out blind."
One of the senior knights stepped forward, "Your Majesty, fluctuations like this aren't unheard of. Could be a natural mana surge."
"It may indeed be, but I'd rather be cautious." He said, tapping his fingers against his throne.
"If I may," a voice came from the Church delegation on the far side of the room. A woman stepped forward to the center.
She was a priestess, wearing the Church's white vestments, though calling them modest would be a stretch. A fitted white dress that clung to every curve she had, under a long white coat with gold trim that hung open at the front.
The coat had the Church's emblem on the back and was doing almost nothing to make the outfit any more appropriate for a throne room.
She had long silver hair with sharp eyes, and a figure that already had half the knights trying not to stare.
"My name is Sorien, high priestess of the Church's Sensing Division," she said. "Three days ago, I felt an energy signature appear outside the kingdom's eastern boundary."
The King raised an eyebrow, "so the church has felt it as well?"
"Yes your highness, I felt it while was in the middle of my evening prayer." She paused, "I've been sensing energy for over twenty years but I have never felt anything appear that suddenly or that powerfully from that far away."
A few of the knights glanced at each other.
"The signature doesn't match anything on our records," she continued. "Which is why I'd like to request a small team of knights to accompany me to investigate. If this turns out to be something valuable, it could benefit the kingdom greatly."
The King didn't respond right away, he was thinking it over for a moment before turning to the woman standing at the head of the Libeon Order.
"Commander Kate, what do you think?"
She was a tall woman with dark hair pulled back tight and a posture that made it clear she didn't like wasting time. She was ranked MRK 60, one of the strongest in the kingdom, and she carried herself like it.
"I have no objections," she said plainly. "If something out there is strong enough to disturb the border wards from that distance, it should be dealt with sooner rather than later. I'll assign a squad to go with her."
The King nodded, "then it's settled. Priestess Sorien, you'll have your knights. You are to head east, find out what's out there, and report back before making any decisions."
Sorien bowed her head, "thank you, Your Majesty."
"And Kate," the King added, "make sure whoever you send can handle themselves. If this thing is as strong as the priestess says, I don't want anyone coming back in pieces."
"Understood." She bowed, clearly confident in her knights.
After the meeting was done, the King sat in silence for a moment, then turned to the woman who had been standing to his right the entire time without saying a word.
"Mireya."
"Yes your highness?"
She was a small but mature woman, dressed in simple dark robes with no emblem or rank insignia. She had been so still and quiet during the assembly that most people probably forgot she was there, which was how she preferred it.
"What is your sight telling you?"
She turned to face him, and when she opened her eyes fully, the pupils were different. They were shaped like clock hands, slowly rotating in opposite directions within her irises. It was unsettling if you weren't used to it, even the King had never fully gotten used to it.
"A great change is coming soon," she said, her voice calm and steady.
"How soon?"
"I can not say exactly but whatever arrived in the east, it's connected. My sight has been restless ever since that energy appeared." She blinked and her pupils returned to normal. "I haven't felt this much movement in the threads threads of the future in a very long time, Your Majesty."
The King exhaled slowly and leaned back in his throne, staring at the ceiling, " a great change," he repeated quietly. "Let's hope it's in our favor."
Mireya didn't respond, that was her way of saying she wasn't sure.
---
"I don't see why we have to babysit the priestess on a wild goose chase," one of the knights muttered as they walked down the corridor.
"Seriously, we have better things to do," another one added. "It's probably just a mana pocket that'll burn out in a week."
Kate was walking ahead of them, listening to every word, and it was taking real effort not to turn around and tell them all to shut up.
She assigned a squad of six to go with the priestess, and within minutes they were already complaining. They just kept going on and on, thinking they are too good for the mission.
Kate could feel her patience thinning with every step.
What made it worse was that she agreed with them. She could be out there right now with the other knight commanders clearing the dungeon on the western front, actually doing something worth her rank instead of sitting in the capital managing schedules and listening to politics.
She hadn't been in a real fight in months and it was driving her insane.
"Commander, do you really think there's anything out there?" one of them asked.
That was it, she was done with this nonsense.
"You know what, I'm going too." She said with a proud smile and hands on her hips.
The knights stopped walking. "What?"
"I said I'm going. The generals can handle things here, they don't need me sitting around the castle." She turned to face them, and whatever complaints they had died in their throats. "Get your gear ready, we leave in the morning."
Nobody argued after that.
She turned back around and kept walking, already feeling better about the whole thing. Even if it turned out to be nothing, at least she'd be out of this city for a while, that alone was worth it.