Classified (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

File 2, Part 5 - Her Imperial Majesty

My older sister's private meetings with the duke abruptly ceased when news broke of the white dragon's possible awakening in wintertime. Enclosed for millennia within one of the empire's tallest mountains, the dragon's origins were shrouded in mystery, though I knew it had been constructed by human hands. Its creator and purpose, however, remained unknown.

Legends whispered of an ancient king, a man so brilliant and lonely that no one could truly understand him. To combat his isolation, he envisioned a dragon to serve as both confidant and protector of his kingdom. But tragedy struck before his vision could be realized. The king fell to his death while working atop the dragon, leaving it incomplete.

The Great Seer of that era foretold the dragon's eventual awakening, its dormant form corrupted over time by malevolent magic. Later prophecies claimed it would breathe blue fire and summon spectral guardians capable of driving those who approached it into hallucinations, madness, or even self-destruction. Only by severing its head, they said, could the beast be defeated.

The current Great Seer - renowned for his inherited ability to glimpse the future more than his profession as a royal clerk - predicted that the dragon's awakening was imminent. His prophecy came during a royal court meeting about the dragon. As the Seer collapsed to the floor, his eyes glowed white, his voice deep and rattling as he proclaimed:

"The ancient steel beast, wrought by genius yet tainted by malevolence, shall soon awaken in a tempest of fury. When the final autumn leaves wither and fall, and winter's frost tightens its grip upon the empire, its rise will be inevitable. No force shall undo its stirring, no power shall reverse its wrath. Its head must be severed, lest it consume the empire in unrelenting ruin."

The court murmured uneasily, but the Seer's voice surged louder, his words rising into an eerie chant:

"Blue fire will devour the mountains, consuming all who draw near. It will not burn solely - it will corrode, twisting flesh and bone into shadow. The sky will glow with an unnatural hue, a warning ignored at great peril. In its wake, the land will weep, and rivers will run dry."

The Seer clutched his chest as if gasping for air, but his voice pressed on, his tone trembling with despair:

"From its maw will pour the echoes of the lost—phantoms bound by rage, spectral guardians of the corrupted beast. They will drift unseen, revealing themselves to the unsuspecting man as the faces of his deepest fears."

The court froze as the Seer's voice dropped to a haunting whisper:

"The brave who confront it will find their minds unmade. Hallucinations will cloud their judgment; madness will tear at their resolve. The beast will strike with claw or tooth, but will also rend the soul from within."

Suddenly, his voice cracked, growing desperate, almost pleading:

"Urge the empress and her men to face it. Only they can prevail. Yet heed this warning: victory will not be without its price. From its flames will rise instability upon instability, undoing even the mightiest reign."

The Seer let out a choked gasp, his body convulsing. He staggered and collapsed to the floor as the light in his eyes dimmed. His voice, now faint and rattling, offered one final cryptic plea:

"Trust not in strength alone. For the shadow of betrayal looms, and the empire's greatest threat may not be the dragon..."

The chamber erupted into chaos as attendants rushed to the Seer's side. His breathing was shallow, his body trembling as though he had glimpsed something too terrible to endure. The court dissolved into fearful murmurs and protests.

All eyes turned toward my older sister, seated on her golden throne several steps above them. She was a vision of regal authority in her light gold dress, the crimson train of her dress pooling around her. With utter silence, her deep blue eyes, framed by intricate red buns and delicate curls, surveyed the court.