Chapter 68: The Assassins and Protection

[The Emperor’s Chamber — Imperial Palace — Midnight]

The dagger remained suspended in the air; for one terrible heartbeat, the entire chamber seemed to forget how to breathe.

Kael stared at the weapon, his amber eyes widening as the blade trembled violently within Veyrith’s invisible grasp; behind it, three figures stood near the open window.

Their faces were concealed beneath dark hoods, their clothing was black, their movements were silent, and each carried a weapon that reflected the pale moonlight.

Assassins.

Kael’s expression changed instantly; the softness that had remained in his eyes only moments ago disappeared, and the Emperor of Qashmar returned. His fingers slowly curled into fists.

"Veyrith..."

The raven spread his wings wider, placing himself between Kael and the assassins.

"Cawww..."

A low warning, and one of the assassins stepped forward. "Kill the Emperor."

The words had barely left his mouth—

FWOOSH—!!!

The suspended dagger shot toward Kael.

Kael immediately moved.

CLANG—!!!

His hand struck the blade aside with the edge of his forearm, sending it spinning across the marble floor; the assassin’s eyes widened.

"Impossible—"

Kael had already reached the weapon, and he seized it.

Then—

SHIIIIING—!!!

Steel flashed.

The first assassin lunged. Kael turned sideways, allowing the blade to pass inches from his chest before driving his elbow into the attacker’s ribs.

THUD—!!!

The assassin staggered as Kael caught his wrist and twisted.

CRACK.

The weapon dropped. Kael kicked it away as he said coldly.

"You’re in the Emperor’s chamber. Did you truly believe I would simply stand here and let you kill me?"

The assassin recovered with a snarl. Two more attacked simultaneously.

SHAAAAANG—!!!

Two blades crossed toward Kael. Kael ducked beneath them; one blade sliced through a strand of his hair, the second grazed his sleeve, and he immediately drove his shoulder into one assassin’s chest.

BOOOOM—!!!

The man crashed against a pillar, and the other raised his sword, but before the blade could descend—

THUUUUUM—!!!

A wave of darkness erupted around Kael; the assassin’s sword stopped, not because Veyrith had caught it, not because Kael had moved. It simply—

STOPPED.

One inch above Kael’s head, the assassin stared at it and his hand trembled.

"What..."

Kael slowly lifted his gaze; something black had appeared beneath his skin. Thin lines of darkness crawled across his chest, exactly where Lytharion’s protection had been carved into his life force.

The invisible barrier had awakened, the chamber darkened, and the candles extinguished one by one.

FWOOSH.

FWOOSH.

FWOOSH.

Until only two things remained visible: Kael’s amber eyes and the darkness surrounding him. The assassin tried to pull his sword away, but he couldn’t.

The blade began trembling violently and then—

CRAAAAAAACK—!!!

The weapon shattered, not broke...shattered. Fragments of steel fell harmlessly onto the marble floor. The assassin stumbled backward in terror.

"What exactly is happening?"

Kael looked at his own hand. Darkness curled around his fingers like living smoke; for the briefest moment, he remembered Lytharion’s voice.

No divine being shall lay a hand upon you.

Kael’s expression softened.

"...Lytharion."

Then his gaze returned to the assassins and became cold again. "You chose the wrong night."

The darkness beneath his skin pulsed.

THUM.

The entire chamber shook. Veyrith suddenly cried out.

"CAWWWWWWWW—!!!"

The raven spread his wings, and a burst of shadow erupted from beneath his feathers, striking one assassin and sending him flying through the window.

CRAAAAASH—!!!

The remaining two froze. Kael stepped forward, and the darkness followed him. The assassins began retreating.

"Who...who is protecting him?"

Kael’s lips curved into the faintest smile.

"My husband."

The moment he said it and the darkness exploded.

WHOOOOOOOOM—!!!

The remaining assassins were thrown backward; one crashed against the wall, and the other fell to his knees, struggling to breathe. Kael stood in the center of the chamber, his robes moving violently beneath the supernatural force surrounding him, yet the darkness never touched him.

Never harmed him.

It wrapped around him like an enormous invisible beast guarding its treasure, and somewhere far beyond the palace walls deep within the darkness of the world, something answered.

A distant howl, low, ancient, and furious.

The darkness around him slowly faded, but the protection remained, waiting and watching. As though the shadow itself had understood one simple command:

No one touches the Queen of Shadows.

Not tonight, not tomorrow, not in this life...never again.

For several heartbeats, the chamber remained unnaturally still.

The assassins lay scattered across the marble floor, unconscious beneath the remnants of the darkness that had erupted from Kael’s body.

The shadows had already begun retreating. They curled back toward Kael’s chest in slow, silent tendrils, disappearing beneath his skin until not even a trace remained.

Yet the atmosphere still carried the weight of something ancient, something that had awakened only to protect him.

Then—

BOOOOOOM—!!!

The doors of the emperor’s chamber were thrown open.

"YOUR MAJESTY!"

Cedric rushed inside with several imperial knights behind him, their weapons already drawn. They had sensed the disturbance, and the burst of divine darkness had been strong enough to shake the corridors surrounding the chamber.

But the moment Cedric stepped inside, he stopped, and his eyes widened. The knights behind him froze as well. An assassin lay unconscious near the window; another was sprawled across the marble floor, his weapon several feet away from his hand, and a third had collapsed against one of the pillars, completely motionless.

And in the center of it all stood Kael.

The Emperor, his robes were slightly disheveled, his hair falling loosely around his shoulders, but his posture remained straight. Veyrith stood upon his shoulder, feathers still spread protectively around him.

Cedric’s gaze immediately swept over Kael as he stepped forward, asking, "Your majesty, are you injured?"

Kael turned toward him; his amber eyes were calm, far too calm. He looked down at the unconscious men for a moment before answering.

"I am unharmed."

Cedric’s brows furrowed.

"But, Your Majesty—"

"I said I am unharmed." Kael’s voice wasn’t loud; it didn’t need to be. The authority within it silenced the entire chamber.

Cedric immediately lowered his head. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Kael’s gaze moved toward the assassins as his expression hardened. "Take them alive. I want every one of them taken to the imperial dungeons. No execution. No interrogation by force. No one touches them until I give the order."

Cedric bowed deeply. "Understood."

Kael stepped toward the nearest assassin as he stared down at the unconscious man, his expression becoming colder.

Someone had entered the emperor’s chamber. Someone had attempted to kill him, and whoever had sent them had known exactly where he would be. That realization alone was enough to make the warmth disappear from his eyes.

"Find out who sent them."

Cedric’s jaw tightened. "We will, Your Majesty."

Kael looked toward him. "Make sure you will not merely find the men who carried the blades."

His gaze shifted toward the broken window.

"Find the hand behind them."

Silence.

The knights straightened. Kael continued, each word measured like a command carved into stone.

"Who hired them. Who gave them access to the palace. Who told them where I would be."

His amber eyes darkened.

"And most importantly..." Kael looked back at the unconscious assassins. "...who believed they could enter my chamber and place a blade against the Emperor of Qashmar."

The room became colder. Cedric lowered his head. "By dawn, Your Majesty, I shall have the beginning of an answer."

Kael nodded.

"Good."

He turned away, then his gaze briefly fell upon his own hand. For the faintest moment, he remembered the darkness.

The way it had erupted around him, the way it had moved without his command, and the way it had struck down every threat before anything could touch him.

Kael’s fingers slowly curled.

Lytharion, he had told him the protection would keep him safe, but Kael had never imagined it would be this powerful.

Veyrith gave a quiet sound from his shoulder.

"Caw..."

Kael glanced toward the raven as a faint smile touched his lips.

"Yes, Veyrith." His fingers gently brushed the bird’s feathers. "I’m fine."

Then his expression returned to that of the Emperor; he looked toward Cedric once more. "Double the guard around this chamber."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The knights began gathering the unconscious assassins one by one, dragging their bodies away from the shattered window and securing their weapons. Servants hurried into the chamber soon afterward, quietly clearing the broken glass and restoring the room to order.

The noise gradually faded, yet Kael remained standing where he was. His fingers slowly rose to his chest; beneath his skin, the invisible protection remained silent, unseen and untouched but undeniably there.

Kael lowered his gaze; only now did he truly understand what Lytharion had meant when he had promised—

"I will protect you."

It hadn’t been an empty promise. Lytharion didn’t need to stand beside him, he didn’t need to hold a sword, and he didn’t even need to be in the same realm. His protection had remained with Kael even while he was gone.

Kael’s fingers curled gently against his chest, and a small, tender smile appeared upon his lips.

"Even when you’re not here..." His amber eyes softened. "You’re still protecting me."

For the first time since the attack began, the Emperor finally allowed himself to breathe.

And somewhere beyond the palace walls, beneath the endless darkness of the night, the Lord of Shadows continued his own battle completely unaware that his beloved had just discovered the depth of the promise he had made.

He had left Kael alone...but he had never truly left him unprotected.