Sylmira stepped through the door. Her steps clicking quickly on the polished stone floor. The chamber was bathed in the warm light of the hearth and lamps but even that glow couldn't chase away the gloom that seeped in through the tall arched windows.

King Roderic sat in his chair near the back wall of the room with a thick book open in his hands. His brow lifted as soon as he saw her face. He closed the book slowly. His expression turning grave.

"If you came here wearing that look, Archmage," he said, his deep voice edged with concern, "then something very serious must be happening."

Sylmira bowed her head briefly before straightening. "Your Majesty."

The king shifted his gaze toward the window. The storm outside had grown closer. The clouds churned like smoke with veins of lightning snaking through their depths.

For a moment, the flicker of light from the lightning painted his face in alternating flashes.

"I had my suspicions," he said quietly, his tone thoughtful. "But now I see them made manifest."

Sylmira moved closer to the table, her cloak trailing faintly behind her. "Then you've felt it too, Your Majesty."

"I have," Roderic said, setting his book aside. "The air feels wrong. It isn't just necrotic corruption like you said, it's something more violent. What is it that you've found?"

Sylmira took a slow breath, steadying her voice before speaking.

"The necrotic activation across the leylines should have remained still to the corrupted sites for now, Your Majesty. But something else moved. The storm forming now—" she gestured to the dark sky outside "—is not born of weather or mere elemental disturbance. It carries an unnatural charge. Something is feeding on the ley energy and amplifying it, twisting both necrotic and elemental forces together."

The king leaned back, his eyes narrowing. "A fusion?"

"I think so," Sylmira said grimly. "I also think that this is not an accidental one. The energy is moving with purpose, almost like it's being drawn toward something. I can't determine where yet but if it continues, it could tear through the ley network and destabilize the necromantic Magic that is still being contained right now."

King Roderic rose from his seat, the gold sigil on his chestplate glinting faintly in the flickering light. "You're telling me that someone or something is attempting to weaponize the necrotic surge itself."

Sylmira nodded once with certainty. "That's my fear. Arty and I have been working on protective runes for the fighters but if this keeps spreading, our preparations might not be enough. Whatever's forming out there isn't just natural energy but something sentient. Or becoming sentient."

The king's jaw tightened. He turned toward the map table, where a large layout of the kingdom rested beneath scattered parchments and crystals.

Lines of faint light ran across the map, marking the known leyline paths that Sylmira had sent to him earlier. Several of them pulsed irregularly, as if something beneath the surface was breathing.

"When you say it's moving toward a center," he said, "where would that be, in your best guess right now?"

Sylmira moved and studied the table. Her hand hovering over the illuminated paths. Her fingers stopped over one of the glowing points that her instinct told her. A convergence of leylines deep in the northern forest.

"Here," she said. "Near this valley. The Magic is unstable there. I suspect that's where the necrotic and elemental strands are fusing."

The king frowned. "That region was already being cleaned decades ago and now is sealed from the outside world. Nothing was supposed to live there beside animals."

"Which makes it the perfect place for something to hide and grow without being noticed," Sylmira replied.

A long silence followed, broken only by the deep rumble of thunder that shook the chamber walls. It was getting closer.

Then Roderic spoke, his tone firm. "Summon the watch captains and the magisters. I want scouts sent toward that valley immediately. After that, we must double the amount to go to the leyline points."

Sylmira inclined her head but didn't move yet. "Your Majesty, if this storm continues to evolve, ordinary adventurers won't enough. I suggest we mobilize a strike team of our best adventurers."

King Roderic looked at Sylmira in silence for a brief moment. Then he gave a single sharp nod. "Very well. We'll do as you suggest."

Sylmira lowered her head slightly in acknowledgment.

Roderic turned toward the door.

"Guards," he called, his voice echoing through the hall. "Send word for my generals. At once."

Moments later, the heavy doors swung open again, and three men entered in quick succession. They wore armor etched with the royal crest, their cloaks dark from the moisture seeping in from the storm outside.

They saluted immediately upon stepping before the throne.

"Your Majesty," the tallest of them said. "You called for us?"

Roderic stood straight, the firelight casting sharp lines across his face.

"Yes. The situation has changed." He gestured toward the window, where another flash of lightning split the horizon. "What we face is no ordinary disturbance. The Archmage has confirmed that something more is taking shape within the northern forest. It was a convergence of corrupted and elemental Magic. I want you to begin immediate recruitment."

The generals exchanged brief glances before one spoke again. "Recruitment, sire?"

"Yes," Roderic said firmly. "We'll need the best adventurers available. Contact the guilds and recruit only groups with the highest reputation and the best record. Offer them whatever reward necessary to ensure they respond without delay.

"Make it clear this isn't a normal assignment. The storm itself may turn hostile. Tell them they'll be working under the Archmage's direction. Time is against us and I don't want bureaucratic delays."

The three generals straightened, the weight of his command settling heavily over them.

"As you command, Your Majesty," said the broad-shouldered one with the gray beard. "We'll send the fastest messengers to the Adventurer Guild and their branch offices in the border cities. The bounty and urgency will spread by nightfall."

"Good," Roderic said. His eyes lingered on the storm again, the clouds now pressing closer against the high towers. The rain has already arrived in drizzle. "I want the strongest to answer, not just those chasing gold. Tell the guilds that this mission concerns the survival of the kingdom."

The third general, a younger man with sharp eyes named Orven, stepped forward. "Shall we mobilize additional units to accompany them, sire?"

"Not yet," Roderic replied. "We need information first. Once the scouts and adventurers report their findings, we'll move the royal forces."

The generals nodded in unison. They understood the tone in the king's voice that there was no time for delay.

"You have your orders," Roderic said. "Move quickly."

The three men saluted once more, before turning sharply on their heels and exited through the great doors.

When the doors closed again, the hall fell into heavy silence, broken only by the sound of the rain intensifying against the windows.

Sylmira exhaled slowly, the faintest tension slipping from her shoulders.

"You did the right thing, Your Majesty," she said quietly. "The faster they move, the more we can prepare."

Roderic's gaze remained fixed on the storm. Lightning danced along the horizon, outlining the shape of clouds that almost looked alive.

"Let's hope they reach it before whatever's behind that storm does."

He turned back toward her. "Go, Archmage. Strengthen the wards around the palace and your designs."

Sylmira gave a curt nod. "Understood."

She turned and left. Behind her, King Roderic stood alone in the throne room, watching the dark sky outside.

The storm answered with a roar that shook the walls.

—