Amara paced the grand chamber with a mounting sense of unease. The silence had stretched far too long—longer than any usual disappearance of Chris Blackwood.
No orders.
No messages.
No presence.
The Supreme Ruler of the Blackwood Empire—gone.
She had sent word to every wing of the palace.
Checked the war room.
His private office.
The eastern courtyard.
Even the hidden sub-chambers she swore no one else knew he used.
Nothing.
Amara's breath was sharp now as she turned to the head of internal palace security, who stood like a nervous child in the far corner. "No one has seen him since last night? No guard at his door noticed him leave?"
"N-no, Commander," the officer stammered. "We thought… we thought he was with you. In your chamber…"
"He wasn't," Amara snapped. Her voice dropped into a lethal whisper. "And that's the problem."
Classic had just left the chamber earlier that morning, and while their conversation had been politically laced and calculated, it hadn't hinted at anything this drastic. Still, her instinct told her something wasn't right. Not with Chris. Not with Classic. And not with the eerie silence that was crawling through Blackwood Castle like a warning.
Amara turned to one of her trusted inner circle commanders. "Lock down every gate of the palace. Discreetly. I don't want panic. I want information."
"Yes, Commander."
"And if anyone saw him—or even saw something suspicious within the last six hours—I want it reported to me directly."
The commander saluted and vanished into the corridor.
Amara was left alone with the echoing void. For the first time in years, she felt something she wasn't used to feeling—
Fear.
Not of the outside world.
But of the fact that she, the woman trusted with power, devotion, and now the title of Chris's wife—had no idea where her husband was.
She walked slowly to the balcony that overlooked the capital square. From this vantage, the empire looked untouched. Crowds moved. Trains zipped past. Banners of Blackwood colors hung proudly from tower to tower.
And yet... the throne was empty.
"Where are you, Chris?" she whispered to the wind. "Don't you dare vanish now. Not when everything's finally under control."
Then, she turned sharply and whispered to herself.
"If this is someone's move… I swear by the blood of Blackwood, I will burn their name from history."
The silence answered with nothing but wind.