A Meeting Of Fates

In King Ezra's Council chamber, a palpable haze of anticipation hung in the air, casting a sense of unease over its occupants. Lucian took his seat next to his father, with Visenya by his side, her presence providing a calm reassurance amidst the mounting tension. At the head of the table, Ezra and Sarai displayed expressions that revealed their deep concerns.

Caspian and Victoria sat nearby, their eyes darting around the room as they tried to decipher the source of the lingering tension. Whispers of unease spread among them, as if the very air held secrets waiting to be unveiled.

Just as the tension reached its peak, the heavy oak doors of the Council chamber swung open, and Lazarus and Sebastian entered, escorted by the Lycan king's guards. Lazarus entered the chamber with a wary look on his face, his piercing gaze taking in the council members before him. The room fell into an expectant silence as all eyes turned towards him and Sebastian.

Ezra rose from his seat, extending a hand in greeting. "Welcome," he said, his voice steady yet filled with a subtle undercurrent of angst. "Please, have a seat."

Lazarus looked slightly surprised as his eyes repeatedly fell on Emperor Caden, who was unexpectedly present. "Is there a problem?" He asked, trying to hide his confusion. "We were just coming to collect Victoria. We had no idea there would be a meeting. I hope she didn't cause any trouble."

"No, not at all," Sarai quickly reassured Lazarus, her tone filled with warmth. "It has been an absolute pleasure to have her here. She is truly an exceptional young lady."

Caden, taking control of the situation, spoke with authority. "We have some important matters to discuss that affect us all," he announced. "I assure you, this meeting is in the best interest of all our kingdoms."

Lazarus and Sebastian exchanged a quick glance before taking their seats, a sense of unease etching across their faces as they settled at the table. All eyes in the room then shifted towards Lucian, awaiting his lead.

Lucian straightened his posture and cleared his throat, his piercing green eyes scanning the room, meticulously observing the faces of those around him. Finally, his gaze locked onto Lazarus, his stare assertive. "I know about your underground tunnels."

Lazarus felt the ground shift beneath him as his mouth fell open in disbelief. "You... We don't have—"

"Victoria!" Sebastian's voice trembled with a mix of anger and betrayal. "Did you tell them about our secret tunnels?"

Victoria's eyes widened, mirroring the shock of her parents. "No, daddy! I would never! I haven't told a soul, I swear!"

"I am extremely disappointed in you, Victoria," Lazarus exclaimed, his voice carrying an undertone of heartbreak.

"It wasn't her," Lucian quickly interjected.

"If not her, then who?" Lazarus questioned, his voice filled with frustration. "Everyone else has been sworn to secrecy through a blood oath."

Lucian paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "What if I told you that I've seen those tunnels myself?" He said with resolute conviction.

Lazarus scoffed, disbelief evident in his tone. "That's absolutely impossible."

"Is it impossible," Lucian asked, his eyebrow raising with refutation, "because your tunnels were built with highly advanced technology that no one in this world has ever seen before?"

He explained, his words flowing with a sense of wisdom, "Your tunnels possess an incredible ability to sense body heat, allowing them to differentiate between vampires, dragons, Lycans, and humans. It's fascinating, really. You see, vampires naturally run colder than the rest of us, especially us dragons and Lycans whose bodies emit more heat."

Lucian continued, "These sensors are capable of detecting even the slightest variations in temperature and body heat signatures. When a creature with a warmer body temperature enters the vicinity of the tunnels, the thermal sensors immediately register the change. This triggers a cascade of events within the tunnel system."

"The central control unit processes the data received from the thermal sensors, analyzes the heat signatures, identifies the presence of the non-vampire entity, and determines the appropriate response."

"If it's perceived as a threat, the tunnels seamlessly and rapidly reconfigure themselves into a complex maze. This labyrinthine structure is specifically designed to confuse and trap intruders, preventing them from reaching their intended destination or escaping the tunnels."

Lazarus and Sebastian exchanged bewildered glances, their minds racing with questions as they struggled to comprehend how Lucian possessed such profound knowledge.

"I not only know about your tunnel system, but I also know where it leads," Lucian revealed, his voice filled with an air of mystery. "Deep within those tunnels lies an underground city, a refuge created for your kind during times of threat or danger. Its walls are constructed of reinforced stone, with narrow corridors illuminated by dimly lit torches."

"How?" Lazarus managed to utter, his voice barely a whisper.

"Like I said, I've seen it, but I couldn't have made it to the city on my own," Lucian said, his gaze fixed on Lazarus. "Ain't that right? To reach the city, a vampire must guide me, but not just any vampire. It has to be a specific vampire, one for whom the tunnel system was designed not to reconfigure itself if he were to lead another supernatural there."

"Me," Lazarus answered, his eyes widening with realization. "But I never took you to the underground city."

"You did once," Lucian stated, his voice laced with a sense of certainty. "Just not in this alternate timeline."

"Alternate timeline," Lazarus echoed, his voice tinged with disbelief.

"Yes, an alternate timeline," Lucian confirmed. "My mate and I have traveled back in time from a reality that is vastly different from this one. In that reality, Ezra wiped out my entire clan upon discovering that his daughter was my mate. However, I managed to survive."

Lazarus's brows furrowed as he struggled to process the information. "You expect me to believe all this?" He questioned skeptically.

Emperor Caden interjected, his tone serious. "Think about it, Lazarus. How else would Lucian have such intimate knowledge of the intricacies of your tunnels?"

Lazarus sighed, unsure of how to respond. "I... I don't know," he admitted. "But all of this seems completely far-fetched. A dragon and a Lycan mated? Time travel? Ezra annihilating your entire species? It's absurd! And even if I were to entertain the idea, how did you acquire the power to travel back in time?"

Lucian's eyes gleamed with a hint of pride as he spoke. "Visenya is very special," he explained. "She is the divine progeny of the Sun God and the Moon Goddess, making her the most powerful entity in this world. She is a Phoenix."

"Is this some kind of joke?" Caspian questioned.

"I know, I can hardly believe it myself," Visenya admitted.

"Well, I don't believe any of it," Lazarus declared, frustration evident in his voice. "Victoria, we're leaving." He abruptly stood up from his chair.

"Sit down, Lazarus," Emperor Caden commanded, his voice authoritative. Lazarus reluctantly complied, sinking back into his seat.

"Look, I know this is heavy and sounds like pure madness. Believe me, I understand," Lucian appealed, his voice tinged with earnestness. "But it's all true. Show him, Visenya."

Visenya acquiesced, allowing Delilah to emerge and take full control of her body. As she did, her eyes transformed into a captivating reddish-orange hue, reminiscent of the sky during a breathtaking sunset.

"In all your years of existence, have you ever seen a Lycan's eyes turn that color?" Lucian addressed Lazarus.

Lazarus stared in awe at Visenya's eyes, his own widening with wonder. He knew that he had never seen eyes like hers in all his days, not from a Lycan anyway. He glanced over at Sebastian, but even he was captivated by the mesmerizing sight.

"It stunned us too when we first saw them," Caspian remarked. "We just thought she was... different."

"She is different," Lucian said, his tone carrying a hint of mystery. "In ways you can't even fathom."

Lazarus pondered for a moment, his mind racing with questions. "So, what if I believe you?" He finally asked. "What does this have to do with me or my tunnels?"

"You recall the Mage Wars, don't you, Lazarus?" Emperor Caden inquired.

"I thought we were forbidden to speak of that," Lazarus responded cautiously.

"We don't need to discuss it, as long as you remember the events clearly," Caden said suggestively, his gaze piercing.

"Oh, I remember," Lazarus affirmed with a hint of unease.

"Well, history may repeat itself if the Council discovers that my son's mate is a Lycan. Moreover, they might not embrace the idea of a vampire-mortal hybrid being mated to a Lycan either," Caden explained, his words carrying a sense of foreboding.

Fear washed over Lazarus and Sebastian, their eyes instantly fixating on their beloved daughter, as they contemplated the potential consequences.

"Alright," Lazarus said, his tone filled with anticipation. "You have our undivided attention. So, what's the plan?"

"We need your brilliant engineers, the same ones who constructed your tunnels, to build a chamber," Lucian explained. "But not just any chamber. It must be meticulously designed - airtight with a reinforced door and walls. Additionally, it should be equipped with built-in valves and ducts, forming an intricate circulation system. And when activated, this system will disperse a special gas throughout the chamber."

Sebastian's curiosity sparked. "A gas? What kind of gas are we talking about here?"

"I have entrusted my finest alchemists with the task of developing a method to convert a specific mineral into a gaseous form," Ezra replied confidently.

"What mineral?" Lazarus asked.

"Black zaphynite," Ezra answered.

"Black zaphynite?!" Lazarus exclaimed. "I thought the dragons had destroyed it all."

"So did I," Ezra said, shooting Ezra a sidelong glance.

"Don't give me that look," Ezra said, a hint of defensiveness in his voice. "Lazarus had his safety net, and I had mine."

"Hey, it's all coming in handy now, isn't it?" Lucian remarked with a satisfied tone.

Sebastian raised a question, "Say we build this chamber, what makes you think we'll be able to lure them inside?"

"We won't have to," Lucian responded. "We're going to appeal to the council's arrogance and design it as a temple in their honor, where the whole world can go to worship them until the end of time. When we tell them about the temple, they'll be dying to see it."

"So they enter the chamber, and we gas them all to death? Don't you think that will cause a war with certain dragons that do actually worship them?" Lazarus expressed.

"We're not going to kill them," Lucian clarified. "We're going to put them to sleep."

"And how long will the effects last?" Lazarus inquired.

"At least ten years, I can tell you that much," Lucian replied. "But we won't need that long. We just need enough time for me to mark Visenya without their interference and for her to fully come into her powers. Once she does, she'll be invincible, and those disgraceful fools will awaken to a very different world."