CHAPTER 307: EX 307. THE GATHERING

Leon studied the Emperor for a moment, the weight in Alexander’s tone too deliberate to ignore. "Is there any issue?" he asked calmly, his gaze steady.

Alexander let out a long exhale, his eyes shifting from Leon to Commander Markus and Lieutenant Lancelot. He seemed to be weighing something in his mind before finally speaking.

"Your presence," the Emperor said, his voice measured but firm, "is vital for the Racial Council that is about to be held."

The room fell into a silence so deep it felt unnatural. Even the faint ticking of the wall clock seemed to stop. Commander Markus and Lancelot both froze where they stood, their expressions tight. They understood what those words meant and they understood the weight of what the Emperor had just said.

Rachel, Adrian, and Leon, however, only looked mildly puzzled.

Leon tilted his head slightly, while Adrian’s brows knitted together. Rachel glanced at the two officers, noticing the stunned expressions on their faces, but said nothing.

Alexander blinked, momentarily thrown off by the blank stares of the trio. ’Have they been living under a rock?’ he thought incredulously. ’Who in Pandora doesn’t know what the Racial Council is?’

He sighed inwardly. He had chosen not to do a full background check on Leon or his team, partly out of respect and to build trust.but now, he was beginning to regret that decision.

"The Racial Council," he began, his tone shifting into something explanatory, "is the gathering of all rulers of the four major races of Pandora. Only four such meetings can be held in a century, each race is granted one opportunity to summon it every 100 years an It is where decisions that shape the entire world are made."

Leon nodded slowly, his expression unreadable. "I see."

Alexander’s brow twitched slightly. ’That’s it? Just ’I see’?’ He wasn’t sure what he expected, shock, at least, or maybe awe, but Leon’s reaction was as bland as someone being told the time.

Before he could finish that thought, Leon spoke again. "But why is my presence needed?"

Alexander paused, still trying to adjust to Leon’s disarmingly casual tone. After a moment, he said, "The reason is simple, this years Racial Council... is being held because of you."

The silence that followed was even heavier than before.

Adrian’s eyes widened, and Rachel’s lips parted slightly in disbelief. The realization hit them both at once, Leon was about to be presented before every supreme power in Pandora.

Commander Markus and Lieutenant Lancelot exchanged a look that said everything words couldn’t. Lancelot’s jaw tensed, his mind racing. ’I knew this boy was going to be someone important one day... but I didn’t think it would be this soon.’

Leon sat there quietly, thinking it through. The Emperor’s words echoed in his head, ’because of you.’ After a few seconds, he asked, "So when is the council starting?"

A slow smile crept across Alexander’s face. "Just about now."

And before anyone could react, the Emperor’s form blurred.

A pulse of golden light filled the room, and in the blink of an eye, Leon and Alexander were gone, leaving the others frozen in stunned silence inside Commander Markus’ office.

****

In the heart of the dark chamber, four thrones encircled a round stone table. The air was thick with power, it was old and ancient, the kind that carried the weight of worlds.

At the eastern edge sat a woman whose beauty could silence even gods. Her long, silver hair fell past her shoulders, and her pointed ears, each adorned with four delicate rings, marked her as elven royalty. A white blindfold covered her eyes, both a symbol and a burden. The blindfold was said to protect her from seeing the sins that stained the world, though many believed she wore it to hide the sorrow that came with sight.

Opposite her, on the western side, sat a giant of a man. His chest was bare, muscles carved as though from stone. His skin was sun-darkened, his presence wild and untamed. At first glance, he could be mistaken for a human, but that illusion shattered the moment one met his gaze. His pupils, slit like a predator’s, carried the primal gleam of the Beast Tribes.

On the northern throne lounged Eragon, the Dragon Lord. His crimson hair shimmered like molten fire, flowing freely down his back, two sharp horns jutting from his head. Golden eyes gleamed with a mixture of arrogance and amusement as he rested his chin on his hand, studying the elven queen.

"You’re still wearing that stupid blindfold," Eragon drawled, his tone smooth and teasing. "You’re not fooling anyone, Elaine. We all know you’re just as horny as the rest of us."

The insult drifted into the silence of the chamber.

The beastly chieftain didn’t even blink. Elaine didn’t move either, her face a mask of calm, her fingers resting gracefully on the table. They had grown used to the Dragon Lord’s provocations long ago.

Eragon sat upright, a faint smirk crossing his lips. "Boring," he muttered, rolling his eyes.

Then, without warning, the air in the center of the chamber rippled. The dark room pulsed with light, and in an instant, two figures appeared on the southern side of the table.

Alexander Arman, Emperor of Humanity, stood tall in his royal attire, the insignia of the Empire gleaming faintly against his chest. Beside him stood Leon Kael.

Every gaze in that chamber turned to him.

For the briefest moment, silence stretched, it was deep and charged. The elf queen’s blindfolded face turned slightly toward Leon; even without eyes, her awareness reached out like roots sensing light. The beast chieftain’s nostrils flared, catching a scent that made his muscles tense.

And Eragon... Eragon’s smirk faded, replaced by intrigue. His golden eyes sharpened, studying Leon not as one would study a man, but as one would examine a weapon or prey.

It wasn’t Leon’s presence that drew their attention. Nor was it the strength that radiated from him, quiet yet overwhelming.

It was what lay within.

A dark, familiar pulse. Corruption, raw and ancient flowed faintly through his being, restrained but unmistakable.

Eragon’s lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile as a thought flickered through his mind.

’What a fine specimen.’

****

A/N: Mass release if we reach top 50 of golden tickets ranking..... Thank you for reading.