The Emperor’s Summons
898 Words
The summons arrived at dawn.
Not through mail.
Not through an academy notice.
Through an Imperial Warhawk descending from the sky and landing directly in front of Harold’s residence.
The entire district froze.
The bird was massive, armored in silver plating, bearing the royal crest of the Empire.
A single figure dismounted.
Imperial Commander Cassian Drayke.
SS-tier Titan host.
Direct subordinate of the Emperor.
He did not knock.
He stood outside and said calmly,
“Harold Vale. You are summoned.”
Not requested.
Summoned.
⸻
The Carriage Ride
Harold sat inside the imperial carriage as it moved through the capital.
Citizens parted instantly.
Whispers followed.
“He’s being recruited.”
“No… investigated.”
“Or executed.”
Lysandra had tried to follow.
She was denied.
Even her family name was insufficient here.
Inside his mind, Luke was silent.
Watching.
The colossal chamber felt different today.
The Whale Falcon’s eye remained faintly open behind the second door.
Observing.
⸻
The Imperial Palace
The palace was less decorative than Harold expected.
It was fortified.
Layered barrier arrays.
Titan suppression formations embedded into pillars.
This was not a palace of luxury.
It was a war command center.
He was led into a vast chamber.
No throne.
No crowd.
Just a single long table.
And at the head—
The Emperor.
Middle-aged.
Calm.
Sharp eyes that had seen war.
Behind him stood three figures.
All SSS-tier hosts.
Harold felt it instantly.
Pressure.
Controlled.
Monstrous.
“You are younger than expected,” the Emperor said.
“You are stronger than expected,” Harold replied evenly.
A faint smile.
Good.
The Emperor gestured to the empty seat.
“Sit.”
Harold did.
⸻
The Real Reason
“You fought Kairos Venn,” the Emperor said.
“Yes.”
“You survived.”
“Yes.”
“You resonated with a second Titan.”
Harold’s eyes sharpened slightly.
The Emperor continued calmly.
“The Empire monitors SSS-tier fluctuations.”
Of course they did.
Nothing that powerful happened unnoticed.
“You are aware,” the Emperor said, “that Kairos does not challenge randomly.”
Harold remained silent.
“He hunts unstable variables.”
The room stilled.
“And yet,” the Emperor continued, “he did not kill you.”
“No,” Harold said.
One of the SSS-tier figures behind the Emperor finally spoke.
“He marked you.”
Luke’s voice echoed inside Harold’s mind.
“Correct.”
The Emperor folded his hands.
“Which means one of two things.”
“Either he believes you will grow.”
“Or he wants you to.”
Silence settled.
⸻
The Proposal
“We are entering a period of external instability,” the Emperor said calmly.
“Border Titan outbreaks.”
“Foreign factions testing our defenses.”
“And rumors of rogue Devourer-class awakenings.”
That last word made the Whale Falcon’s eye glow faintly.
The Emperor’s gaze sharpened slightly.
“You possess something rare, Harold Vale.”
“Dual SSS-tier potential.”
“You are either an asset.”
“Or a future catastrophe.”
The words were not threatening.
They were factual.
Harold met his gaze directly.
“What do you want?”
The Emperor leaned forward slightly.
“Join the Imperial Vanguard.”
Not academy.
Not noble house.
The military’s elite Titan division.
“You will be given resources.”
“Blood stones.”
“Training.”
“Combat clearance.”
“And in return?”
“You fight where we send you.”
Simple.
Clear.
Binding.
⸻
Inside His Mind
The chamber trembled faintly.
The Whale Falcon’s presence pulsed slowly.
Luke spoke.
“If you refuse, they monitor you.”
“If you accept, they control your battlefield.”
Harold exhaled slowly.
“Will I be restricted from awakening further Titans?”
The Emperor studied him carefully.
“That depends on stability.”
Honest.
But vague.
⸻
An Interruption
Suddenly—
One of the SSS-tier guards stiffened.
A formation crystal on the wall flickered violently.
The Emperor turned.
“What is it?”
The guard’s voice was tense.
“Emergency signal from the eastern border.”
The chamber’s central projection activated.
A live battlefield feed appeared.
A city under attack.
Not by beasts.
Not by foreign soldiers.
By a single airborne Titan.
Dark blue.
Massive.
Wings eclipsing the sky.
Harold’s heartbeat stopped for a fraction of a second.
Whale-like body.
Falcon wings.
Oceanic vortex swirling beneath it.
The Whale Falcon.
But—
Distorted.
Incomplete.
Corrupted.
The Emperor’s voice lowered.
“Devourer-class manifestation.”
One of the SSS guards whispered,
“That’s impossible… we sealed that bloodline centuries ago.”
The Whale Falcon’s eye inside Harold’s mind widened.
Recognition.
Not of kinship.
Of prey.
Luke’s tone turned serious.
“That is not yours.”
The Emperor slowly turned back to Harold.
“You asked what we want.”
His eyes were sharp now.
“We want that dead.”
The corrupted Devourer in the projection opened its jaws—
And swallowed an entire Titan host mid-air.
Absorbed instantly.
The vortex beneath it intensified.
The Empire’s forces were retreating.
Even S-tier units were being overwhelmed.
The Emperor stood.
“You resonate with that class.”
The room’s pressure shifted toward Harold.
“Can you fight it?”
Silence.
Inside his mind—
The second chain cracked again.
Not from instability.
From anticipation.
Harold stood slowly.
“When do we leave?”
- Writer
