Ali opened his mouth to speak—but something stopped him.
'Something's behind me—!'
The thought hit him like a scream inside his skull. His Force Sense surged like a floodgate had been shattered. No time to think. No time to breathe.
Ali stood instantly, his hand flying to his side. With a snap-hiss, his lightsaber ignited, its humming blade glowing bright and ready. His left eye turned pitch black, and dark veins spidered out across his face, crawling down his neck and arms.
He was no longer the baron sitting in his chair.
He was the weapon.
Fiona and Seraphina both recoiled slightly, surprised by the sudden transformation. They could feel the shift in pressure, in atmosphere—something invisible had entered the room with them.
Ali's gaze was locked on the curtain behind his desk, the saber clenched tightly in his right hand.
But there was nothing there.
Nothing… visible.
And yet—
'What the fuck…'
His Force Sense wasn't detecting something in the room. It was detecting something far, far away—a beast killing another deep in the wilderness. Miles from his location, yet it felt like it happened right behind him.
Then it got worse.
Ali's eyes closed and his entire body tensed. A wave of voices, emotions, motions, and life signatures from every direction collapsed inward like a tidal wave. Hundreds—no, thousands—of creatures and people, all their raw instincts and intentions pouring into his mind like static.
He staggered, hand flying to his forehead. The veins on his neck bulged. His teeth clenched.
'Why is it doing this?'
"Ali? What's wrong?" Fiona asked, her voice shaky with concern. She instinctively stepped further away, her motherly instincts clashing with her sense of danger. Something was wrong—deeply wrong. Ali was never like this. Never unstable.
Seraphina narrowed her eyes.
'There's no threat here… why is he reacting like this?' Her vampiric senses scanned the entire room, the surrounding corridors—nothing. Yet Ali was trembling like a man under siege.
'I'm going to shut off—'
Ali pulled himself inward, and for the first time since obtaining this power, he severed his connection to the Force.
Total blackout.
All external awareness vanished.
Silence.
It lasted only a second—but to those watching, it felt like minutes frozen in time.
Then—on the ceiling of the room—a single eye opened. Not just any eye.
Shadow's.
A colossal violet dragon eye, unblinking, watching the room from a tear in the space above them. Its slit pupil fixated on Fiona and Seraphina. Daring them to move. Warning them that their master was vulnerable, and anything out of line would be met with annihilation.
Ali's body remained still, frozen.
Then—his eyes opened.
Calm.
Empty.
He slowly sat back down in his chair, the blade vanishing from his hand. His robe hung loose, wet hair clinging to his temples.
His gaze flicked upward.
The dragon's eye blinked once, then slowly faded into the shadows of the ceiling. Gone.
Seraphina opened her mouth, but Ali raised a single finger.
Not now.
He was still piecing it together.
'I shut off my Force Sense completely. I had to… But why did it spike like that?'
'Before, I could control it. Toggle it. Scan in bursts. Up to a hundred meters. Efficient. Focused.'
'But this… this was different. I felt like I was kilometres outside of myself.'
He blinked slowly, grounding himself.
"Don't ask me about it," he said quietly.
Seraphina didn't push. Fiona hesitated but nodded.
"…Are you sure?" she finally asked. Despite everything, the concern in her voice was genuine.
Ali looked at her.
"Fiona. Do you know anything about a priest of the True Flame with a glowing burn mark on his forehead? His name is Ignus."
Her brow furrowed, her mind flicking through records.
"You… met a Bishop?" she asked, surprised.
"I met a priest. He was traveling with two adventurers near the kobold caves. Exiled from the capital. He's living as a beggar in Obidos now," Ali said.
Fiona's face changed.
"That's… unusual," she said. "As far as I know, any priest marked by the True Flame is automatically enrolled in Bishop training at the capital. They're not just religious—they're weapons. Capable of really powerful incantations, high-tier miracles."
Ali nodded. "Well, he swore loyalty to me."
Seraphina's tone was dry.
"Why do we need a priest?"
She didn't hide her disdain. To her, religious men were either manipulators or pawns—sometimes both.
Ali looked at her with a half-smile.
"Well, the Church isn't exactly strong within the kingdom," Fiona said, glancing at Seraphina, "but it's still a very useful tool. Most lords rely on its influence to keep the people passive, obedient. If we had a priest under our control…"
Her sentence trailed off, but the point was clear.
Seraphina folded her arms beneath her chest, clearly unimpressed. "You think one exiled priest will make a difference?"
"I already sent him back to Obidos," Ali replied, leaning into his chair. "After we take the town, I'm appointing him as High Priest over all my territories."
Fiona's golden eyes widened slightly. "Ali… when the other priests hear that you appointed a disgraced exile to lead your church—they won't take it lightly. You'll be stepping on centuries of hierarchy. They will act."
"That doesn't matter," said Miles, his flat, mechanical voice cutting in from the mirror behind them. The glowing glass shimmered with subtle static as he spoke. "The Dragon Rider is already the centre of every rumour in Obidos. There's talk of Ali joining the war as a third party, and more dangerous rumours branding him a threat to nearby barons."
Seraphina smirked. "You mean it doesn't matter because we'll be the enemy to everyone anyway once this war ends."
"Exactly," Ali said, nodding. "This civil war is a gift. It gives us cover. We'll claim both houses while they're distracted and fractured. But once the dust settles, the other barons and the Viscount's advisor won't ignore us. They'll unite against me in every situation."
"We still haven't discussed the aftermath," Fiona cut in. "After the war ends, how are we going to hold both territories before other lords move in to claim the spoils?"
Ali's eyes were cold and focused.
"I'll be the only one fighting," he said. "Once I've killed their knights and lords, I'll fly to House Nolan's stronghold. Seraphina will go to Obidos. We claim both territories at the same time."
He turned to Fiona. "Miles will handle the rest. You'll be responsible for managing both territories—the people, the taxes, the transitions. All of it."
Fiona blinked. "Wait… me? All of it? Ali, I don't even have assistants. And I still have my daughter to take care of."
"I'll bring in support when it's time," Ali said. "You have a week to prepare."
But just then, a ping echoed from Ali's interface. He glanced to the side, then read the new notification:
[Personal Mission: Conquer House Cinder in under two days (0/1)]
Reward: Spell – First Circle Magic: Fireball | +0.5 Spirit
[Personal Mission: Conquer House Nolan in under two days (0/1)]
Reward: Skill – Aura Level 1 | +0.5 Strength
Ali's jaw clenched slightly.
'This fucking paradise… That changes everything.'
He looked up. "Miles, plans have changed."
Fiona's head snapped up. Seraphina leaned forward.
"We're taking them both down in two days."
Fiona's eyes widened. "What? The war's supposed to start in a week!"
"Not anymore," Ali said, rising to his feet. "They'll have to fight sooner."
"But why?" Fiona asked again, more forcefully this time.
Ali's black eyes locked onto hers, emotionless. "Because I said so, Fiona. Stop asking and start preparing."
Fiona turned her head away, clenching her jaw. She exhaled through her nose, biting down her irritation. He was unreasonable right now. Reckless, even..
Seraphina tilted her head, intrigued. "So what are we doing to speed things up? You have something planned?"
Ali nodded once. "Miles?"
The mirror flickered, and the image changed.
A red-haired woman appeared on the screen. She was young, early twenties, with a delicate face and a small baby bump visible beneath her dress. Her hands rested protectively over her belly.
Miles spoke, monotone. "She is the wife of House Nolan's heir, Thomas. According to local gossip in Obidos, she is the reason this war started. If she's killed and House Cinder is framed… there's a high probability Nolan retaliates immediately."
The suggestion hit like a whip crack.
Fiona flinched. Her golden eyes turned hard. "Kill? Ali, you're not going to kill her, are you? She's pregnant…"
Ali looked at her, calm as ever.
"No, Fiona," he said. "I won't kill her."
He held her gaze.
"I'll kidnap her. Just after midnight."
Please donate some of your power stones, it would help my ff massively.
If you want to support my work and get Five chapters ahead of webnovel : patreon.com/Rondo312