His Bride, Her Revenge

Chapter 132: The Crimson Summit

The chamber was lit by a thousand flickering flames, each dancing atop iron sconces forged in the shape of crowned skulls. This was the Hall of Concord neutral territory carved deep beneath the Bloodridge Mountains, far from the reach of any kingdom. Only summoned in times of impending collapse, the Crimson Summit had not been convened in over two centuries. The last time, a thousand kingdoms died.

Cambria stood at the center of the obsidian floor, her crown gleaming beneath the firelight. Her cloak of sable feathers dragged behind her, whispering of storms. Beside her, Lucien Vale stood like a ghost returned from the grave, draped in silver war armor carved with the Blackwood sigil. Evelyn flanked her opposite side, unnervingly composed, her fingers resting lightly on the edge of her blade.

All around them, power gathered.

The northern Frost Kings entered first, wrapped in glacier furs and silence, their breath misting in the cold air. Then came the Eastern Dragon Emissaries, their eyes slit and gleaming, trailing incense smoke that reeked of fire and judgment. The southern Grand Viziers arrived in golden robes, faces veiled behind lacquered masks, whispering omens in forgotten tongues.

Last came the Wraith Court.

And with them Knox.

He entered dressed in blackened steel, a crown of twisted ash upon his brow. His presence sucked the warmth from the air, and even the flames dimmed in response. Eyes turned. Voices died. The former prince turned executioner walked straight to the central dais and locked eyes with Cambria.

"I see we’ve finally gathered," he said coolly, voice echoing. "Shall we discuss whose head should roll first?"

No one laughed.

Cambria didn’t blink. "We are here because your war has consumed four nations in six months. Because the skies burn and rivers bleed. Because your obsession with Pandora has unleashed something none of us fully understand."

Knox tilted his head. "You mean you don’t understand. I understand it perfectly. The world was broken long before me. I’m simply cleaning up the mess."

"You’re creating a new one," Evelyn said sharply. "And unlike your last, this one won’t be erased by propaganda."

Knox’s eyes flicked toward her. "Ah, the prodigal heir. Still playing soldier?"

Before Evelyn could speak, Lucien’s voice rang out.

"Enough. This summit was called for one purpose containment. Project Pandora has fractured. We need to shut it down before it consumes the rest of the continent."

Knox gave a slow, mocking clap. "Adorable. You think it can be ’shut down’? You’re decades too late, Lucien. Pandora isn’t a project anymore it’s a prophecy."

Cambria took a step forward. "And I’m the proof of that prophecy."

Gasps rippled across the hall.

One of the Grand Viziers stood. "You admit it, then? That the queen of the East Blackwood Alliance is... the prototype?"

Cambria didn’t flinch. "I was made in the heart of Pandora. I was designed to burn empires. But I chose not to."

"Then prove it," said one of the Frost Kings coldly. "Open the Seal."

She hesitated. The Seal was buried in her spinal core a final lock encoded by Seraphine Vale, her mother, before her fall. To open it would mean granting access to the full capabilities of the prototype weapon.

Knox saw the hesitation and smiled. "You won’t do it. Because deep down, you’re still afraid of what you are."

Cambria turned to the gathered rulers. "Pandora doesn’t need more power. It needs control. And the only way to do that... is to unify."

Murmurs broke out across the council.

Lucien raised his voice. "My daughter proposes a council ruling alliance. One member from each realm. No more sovereign monarchies. No more isolation. We survive, or we fall... together."

A sharp sound interrupted the slam of Knox’s blade into the stone floor.

"You want unity?" he asked, voice low. "Then kneel. Surrender your power, your armies, your will. Only then will I allow you to survive."

"Allow?" Evelyn echoed. "You think you’re a god now?"

"I am," Knox said, and his eyes began to glow.

Before anyone could move, the summit chamber trembled. Flames flared high, pillars cracked, and the air turned molten. Cambria spun around, heart hammering.

From the darkness behind the summit gate, a figure emerged.

Not a ruler.

Not a soldier.

A child.

Her skin was porcelain-pale. Her eyes were black voids. Around her floated shards of crystal, humming with impossible energy.

Lucien inhaled sharply. "No... that’s not possible."

Cambria stepped back. "Who is she?"

The girl’s lips curved into a smile that sent shivers down every spine.

"I am the Final Protocol," she said sweetly. "And your summit... has been denied." noveldrama

Every Pandora weapon in the room, hidden or disguised, activated at once.

Eyes glowing. Steel limbs twitching. They turned on their masters.

The betrayal was instant.

The Frost Kings fell first, their own soldiers skewering them with cold precision. The Dragon Emissaries erupted into flame, but it was too late their own scouts detonated from within. The Grand Viziers tried to vanish into smoke, only for their masks to implode in sparks.

Chaos swallowed the chamber.

Cambria reached for her power, for the seal inside her spine but it remained locked. She turned to Lucien. "What did Seraphine do?!"

"She encoded a failsafe," he growled. "It’s linked to your bloodline. Only one who is pure Vale can open it."

"Then who is she?" Cambria asked, pointing to the floating child.

Knox was laughing, surrounded by flames. "You still don’t get it, do you? That isn’t a child. That’s the Core. That’s what Seraphine was hiding."

Cambria’s eyes widened.

The child turned to her and smiled wider. "You were only the beginning, Cambria. I... am the end."

With a motion of her hand, the seal on Cambria’s back snapped open.

Agony seared her body. Light poured from her eyes. Her knees hit the ground as the full force of Pandora surged through her bloodstream like wildfire.

And then everything went white.

Cambria’s seal has just been forcefully unlocked by the Core (Final Protocol), putting her into an unknown transformation or destruction. The Crimson Summit has collapsed in betrayal, and now Pandora has turned against everyone.