Gladia's capital did not feel like a capital anymore. It felt like a courtroom waiting for judgment they couldn't predict the result.
Even before the Dark Elf delegation arrived the day before, the atmosphere inside the royal palace had changed.
Reinstated guards stood in tighter formations. Nobles spoke in whispers instead of voices. Servants moved quickly, avoiding eye contact with one another as if looking too long at anything might become dangerous.
Even the capital itself, carried more tension than it had ever carried at the onset of war.
After the news of the capture spread. The two human kingdoms had already withdrawn their troops from direct involvement. The High Elves had sent observers instead of diplomats.
And Gladia Kingdom itself, or what remained of it, stood at the center of everything, waiting for the inevitable meeting and consequences.
When the portal finally opened inside the throne room, nobody spoke.
Darkness arrived first then she appeared.
