Chris POV
The cold night air bit at my skin as I stood outside the walls of my own empire — a stranger in the place I built with blood, sweat, and iron will. Not a single soul knew I was here. Not one. And I intended it that way.
For weeks now, I chose silence. No messages, no commands, no appearances. The Blackwood Empire thrived on my presence, my control, my unwavering authority. But sometimes, the crown weighs too heavy, even for me.
I'm not hurt. Not physically. Not captured. Not broken.
No—this silence was a decision, a calculated move in a game where every player thought they knew my hand.
It was time to disappear.
Disappear not because I was defeated, but because I needed to watch. To listen. To feel the pulse of the empire without my shadow looming over it.
I needed to see who truly stood by me, who crumbled without my guidance, and who dared to challenge the throne in my absence.
Every day, I slipped through the shadows of my own domain, unnoticed, observing.
Classic, my son, still holds his ground—but how deep does his loyalty go? Behind closed doors, his gaze flickers with unspoken doubts, secrets he guards even from me.
Amara, my wife, bears the weight of this empire like a queen should, but I can sense the strain behind her poised exterior. She's strong, perhaps stronger than I gave her credit for. But I worry about the cracks forming beneath that strength.
And Skylar—no longer alive, yet her shadow lingers, a ghost in the minds of many. Her defiance, her rebellion—they stirred something dangerous in this fragile order.
I can feel it all unraveling, the empire testing its limits. And so am I.
This silence is my way of resetting the board.
No proclamations, no grand returns. Just patience.
Because true power is not just in ruling loudly, but in commanding the unseen, moving the pieces no one notices.
I am Chris Blackwood. The empire's heart beats with or without me.
And soon, it will beat to my rhythm again.
Until then, I watch.
And wait.