CHAPTER 7 "The Mysterious Empire Finally Revealed Itselfā¦ And Leila Was Given an Impossible Choice: Her Kingdom or the Horse That Saved Her Life."
The silver falcon emblem haunted Leila's thoughts.
For days, she searched every royal archive, every ancient map, and every forgotten record.
Nothing.
It was as if the organization had never existed.
Until an elderly monk arrived at the palace gates.
He refused food.
He refused payment.
"I will speak only to Princess Leila."
The guards escorted him inside.
The old man looked exhausted after crossing the desert, but his eyes were sharp.
When he saw the black stallion standing beside Leila, he slowly bowed.
"So... Guardian lives."
Leila frowned.
"Guardian?"
"That horse was never bred for money."
The old monk gently touched the stallion's forehead.
"He belonged to your grandfather."
The room fell silent.
"What?"
"Long before your father became king, this horse's bloodline protected the royal family. Every generation had one Guardian."
Leila stared at the stallion in disbelief.
The old monk reached inside his robe and removed an ancient map.
At its center stood the same silver falcon symbol.
"There is another kingdom beyond the Empty Desert."
"The Falcon Empire."
"For centuries they have secretly controlled rulers through fear, blackmail, and assassinations."
Leila felt her stomach tighten.
"So Sheikh Rashid..."
"...was only their puppet."
The monk nodded.
"And now they want you."
Before anyone could ask another question...
A horn echoed from outside the palace.
One rider.
White flag.
Black armor.
The messenger dismounted and calmly handed Leila a golden scroll.
It contained only one sentence.
"Deliver the black stallion before tomorrow's sunset... or ten thousand innocent people will die."
The courtyard exploded with outrage.
"It's a trap!"
"We'll fight!"
"Never surrender the horse!"
But Leila remained silent.
She understood something the others did not.
The Falcon Empire wasn't asking for the horse because it was valuable.
They were afraid of it.
That night she secretly visited the royal prison.
Sheikh Rashid sat alone in darkness.
He laughed quietly when he saw her.
"So..."
"They finally found you."
"You knew about them?"
"I feared them."
Leila stepped closer.
"Tell me how to stop them."
For the first time, the fallen sheikh looked genuinely broken.
"You can't."
"They don't lose."
"They erase people."
Entire kingdoms disappear.
History changes.
Names are forgotten."
Leila's jaw tightened.
"There must be a weakness."
The sheikh whispered one sentence before the guards led her away.
"There is only one man who ever defeated the Falcon Empire..."
"...and they buried him alive."
Leila froze.
"Who?"
The sheikh slowly smiled.
"Your father."
Outside, thunder rolled across the desert.
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Far beyond the palace walls...
Thousands of black banners were already moving toward the kingdom.
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