Chapter 2

• EMPEROR ARION (OR-ee-uhn)
• I was comfortably settled in my personal lounge, enjoying a cup of tea and some biscuits that the kitchen staff had delivered. The afternoon sunlight filtered through the stained glass windows. After a long day spent managing the various matters of the empire. This was something I always looked forward to.
• "Your majesty," a boy burst into the room.
• I clenched my teeth together. This disturbance had annoyed me. I was about to call for the guards to flog him when I noticed the envelope in his hand. The youth's eyes lowered, gasping for his next breath.
• "What is it?"
• He halted five respectful paces from me. He lowered his body into a deep bow. With two hands, he extended his arms. A crimson envelope was lightly clasped.
• Its colour never carried good news.
• "Read it," I ordered.
• The boy stuttered. "Sorry your majesty, but I was told this information was not meant for anyone's ears or eyes but yours."
• I clenched my fists tightly as I grasped the envelope.
• With a flick of my wrist, two guards came to my side. "Take him out and flog him fifteen times."
• I watched as the boy began to tremble with fear.
• "Next time," I curled my lips into a snarl. "Don't barge in. Some protocols need to be followed." A crooked smile reached my eyes.
• The boy began sobbing, begging me for mercy. "Your Majesty, I was only complying to the orders that I was given."
• I flicked my wrist, letting the guards know they could proceed with my orders.
• "Mercy is only given by those who are weak."
• With my nail, I had cut open the seal. My gaze darted over the frenzied scrawl of ink. I curled my lips into a snarl.
• The sheer disrespect demonstrated by the Ministry of Military. It was deplorable. I counted several misspelled words. This alone had my blood boiling. Then there were the flicks at the end of each word. Mirroring that of a child. A scene that would have had the cane coming down on the child's hand.
• The situation might have mattered, but his lack of care was problematic. After all, I am the emperor; disrespect, even if the matter needed urgency, was not tolerated.
• This left me resolute in my decision to replace the current head of the Ministry. His demotion would hinge on my emotional state after I processed the message's implications.
• The message was unmistakable. The scientist had discovered an object that had penetrated our solar system. It was not a comet, nor was it a stray piece of celestial debris.
• The object was estimated to be 230 kilometres in diameter. The scientists' projection loomed in my mind. A timeline. A projection based on data collected. The trajectory put arrival at our doorstep in six months.
• The astonishing speed at which the object was travelling worried me. It was calculated to have travelled 3 billion kilometres in a month. Too swift to be anything remotely resembling a celestial body. To me, that meant the unknown object had a power source.
• What bothered me most was that they had withheld this revelation from me. A month. That is how long the scientists had known. And only now was I receiving any communication about this anomaly. As if a potential threat to the empire had not existed.
• I stood on my feet. My first reaction was to burn the parchment out of rage. I stood at the hearth. My hand was inches from burning the evidence in my possession. Slowly, I calmed my thoughts. I crumpled it as I balled my hand into an angry fist.
• Someone was going to be punished. Who? That would come later. First, I needed to calm my mind.
• The threat level had not been determined. Only that the trajectory was six months. Assuming that the object continued at the same speed.
• "Where was it heading? What were its intentions as it traversed the vastness of space?"
• I turned away from the hearth. My robe swished as I moved forward. My rage fuelled my movements. Each step was deliberate as my mind wandered to the disciplinary actions I would order against the Ministry of Military and the scientists.
• Then, once that was done, I would address the potential threat.
• This situation. Whatever it might involve. I would handle it with the same resolve I applied to any looming threat.
• I would confront it head-on.
• "Whatever that anomaly may be, it will not last for long," I vowed. I won't let it become a problem.
• The moment I reached my personal office. I wrote a message to the Crimson Claw. An elite unit of black dragon predators. My personal royal elite warriors.
• This time I will order them to apprehend those linked to this little issue in the crimson envelope.