Chapter 1424: Hidden Powers

This chapter is updated by Novels.pl

That same night, within a highly restrictive chamber deep inside the royal palace, Maximillian, Marlow, and Amira gathered in silence.

Amira had already listened to the message once. After that, she immediately found her husband and son and brought them to this room, away from prying eyes.

Maximillian and Marlow didn’t know what had suddenly come over Amira, and why she was acting the way she did. The secretive and paranoid nature of her actions made them frown. But they followed her nonetheless.

The Queen placed the disk on the table, then turned to her family.

"What you are about to see must not leave this room," She declared solemnly.

"Amira, you…" Maximillian couldn’t help but frown. "What is the meaning of this? What has come over you at such an hour?"

Marlow felt the same unease, though he said nothing. He merely nodded in agreement with his father.

"You’ll understand once you see it," Amira softly said. "But you must promise me, both of you, not to reveal what you are about to witness."

Maximillian and Marlow exchanged glances and then nodded.

Amira smiled faintly, her eyes flashing with mixed emotions. She was deeply happy upon receiving her daughter’s message. But at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel a weight upon her shoulders after learning the contents of the message.

"Very well." She took a deep breath and nodded.

She turned around and infused mana into the disk. Following that, what greeted Maximillian and Marlow’s eyes caused them to be thunderstruck.

The disk activated at one, first unfolding an anti-divination barrier embedded into it by Adam. Only after the chamber was fully sealed, did the recording begin to play, and Anna’s image — captured by Adam after perfectly impersonating her — slowly appeared.

"Dear Mother…"

Anna began softly, her lips curling into a regretful smile.

"I’m sorry. I truly am. I know my silence must have caused you, Father, and Marlow immeasurable worry."

The illusion took a breath, then continued, "It wasn’t by choice. The place I am in makes communication impossible. Not difficult. Impossible! That is the only reason I could not send word sooner."

Her lips curled into a faint, reassuring smile. "But please know that I am safe. So are the people with me. Ada, Daryl, and Kaspar they’re all fine. We are not suffering, nor are we in immediate danger."

A moment later, her expression grew serious.

"I cannot return yet. But I promise you, when the time is right, I will return home."

She paused briefly, her ruby eyes flashing with caution. "Until then, you must be careful. The undercurrents of the world are far darker than they appear. In these past few years, I’ve learned things that have changed my view of the world we live in."

Anna paused for another moment, then solemnly said:

"Ignisra may be in greater danger than you realize!"

Those words rang like thunder in the Fireborne family’s ears. The joy and relief of learning that Anna was safe and sound was instantly replaced by a grim feeling that pressed heavily on their hearts.

Anna’s illusion didn’t speak for a few moments, seemingly letting her words settle.

At last, she spoke, and her following words caused the three to freeze in shock.

"Be wary of the Cult of Bones," Anna warned.

"And do not place blind trust in the Sovereign Union either. Recently, I have come to learn that the Union is secretly supported by a clandestine organization known as the Twilight Brotherhood, and that the Haynam Empire is supported by the Cult.

"I now know that these two ancient orders have been using the Empire and the Union as proxies in their wars for many years. Very few are aware of this truth. Fewer still know that the upper echelons of the Brotherhood have already been infiltrated by the Cult of Bones.

"The Battle of Ravenfell was a turning point for this world. It marked the moment when the hidden powers that truly shape Tron began to shift. Everything set in motion then is leading towards something dark and profoundly dangerous in the future.

"What the world accepts as truth is often the most convenient lie. Beneath what is seen lies another layer, and beneath that, another still. Do not trust appearances alone, for there is always more than meets the eye."

She looked at them one last time, her voice softening again.

"Please take care of yourselves, and of Ignisra. I will find my way back to you."

The image began to fade.

"Until then… know that I love you."

Silence gripped the chamber as the message ended.

Amira broke into tears once again. She felt an overwhelming sense of relief that her daughter was alive. After decades of fear and uncertainty, that single truth eclipsed everything else.

Maximillian stood stoic and still. Only the tightening of his jaw and the subconscious gulp betrayed the storm within. The king in him was already weighing the implications of his daughter’s warning, but the father in him was deeply relieved at learning of her safety.

Meanwhile, Marlow’s face displayed a mixture of shock, disbelief, dread, and solace.

All three of them knew without a shred of doubt that the message was truly from Anna. After all, the disk carried the unmistakable traces of her mana signature, something that could not be forged by another.

The recording also left no room for doubt. The expression, the small hand gestures, the way she spoke and carried herself, every mannerism was unmistakably hers, something no imitation could replicate.

Marlow turned to Maximillian and muttered in disbelief, "Father, she… how did she learn about the Brotherhood and the Cult?"

The King remained silent for a long time. As the ruler of Ignisra and someone who sat at the Union’s council, he naturally knew about these secret organizations. He also knew that Europa was their battlefield and that they used the Empire and the Union for their proxy wars.

But what truly stunned him was the revelation that the Cult of Bones had managed to infiltrate the upper echelons of the Twilight Brotherhood…

That information alone changed everything!

He closed his eyes and sighed, thinking to himself, No wonder Amira was so particular about not showing this message to anyone else.

When he opened his eyes, they held a warmth and affection rarely seen. His lips parted, and he murmured softly:

"She’s no longer the little girl we worried over. She’s become someone who can stand on her own."

***

Far from the royal palace, Adam stood on the balcony of his residence, gazing in its direction as he quietly listened to the Fireborne family’s conversation.

His lips curled into a faint smile as he raised his wine goblet in a toast.

"Yes… she has."