As Lord Arcturus and his advisors sat down, I took note of the way they gazed around with a mix of awe and trepidation. It was clear that they were not accustomed to being in such close proximity to a dragon, let alone two and a goddess.

I gestured for them to speak, my eyes trained on the large map they had brought with them. It was a map of the entire world, and even from where I sat, I could see the countless kingdoms and empires that dotted its surface. It seemed like this world similar to our mortal plane consisted of on large mass of land.

Lord Arcturus cleared his throat and spoke up, breaking me from my reverie. "Noble dragon, this map shows the current state of the world," he said, gesturing towards the various regions with a gloved hand. "As you can see, the Shades have already taken control of several kingdoms in the east, including the Kingdom of Sarnath and the Principality of Eridanus."

I nodded, my eyes following his hand as he traced the outlines of the kingdoms on the map. "And what of the rest of the world?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

Lord Arcturus hesitated for a moment before answering. "There are still many kingdoms and empires that remain under human control," he said, and pointed at a few dots northeast, and southeast "but their armies are stretched thin, and they are struggling to hold back the Shades' relentless advance."

I narrowed my eyes, taking in this information. The Shades were a powerful enemy, to the mortals that much is to be expected, and it seemed that they were making swift progress in their conquest of the world. Still, it looked like we weren't too late.

"What of the Kingdom of Amara?" I asked, my gaze drifting to a large kingdom situated in the center of the map, with borders to the east and western sides of the world, and a sea border to the south. It essentially divided the world into two halves. I suppose it would have been more appropriate to call it an empire.

Lord Arcturus sighed heavily. "Amara has fallen," he said, his voice low. "The Shades attacked with overwhelming force, and the kingdom's armies were decimated. The few survivors fled to the neighboring kingdoms, but they were met with suspicion and distrust. Many of them now wander the lands as refugees, seeking safety wherever they can find it."

A frown made its way to my face as I heard this. From it's size and location, Amara seems to have been one of the most powerful and prosperous kingdoms in the world, yet it appears to have fallen with shocking speed.

"What of the other kingdoms?" I asked, "What are they doing to prepare for the fight?"

Lord Arcturus nodded, a determined look in his eyes. "Yes," he said, "the northern kingdoms have banded together to form an alliance. They are pooling their resources and armies in an effort to push back the Shades and reclaim their lands since most attacks now come from the fallen Amara kingdom," he said pointing at the borders.

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"Ah, my apologies," Lord Arcturus gestured towards the large map that spread out before us, "As you can see, noble dragon, we are situated to the west with borders with the now-occupied Amara kingdom. Our kingdom, known as Valtoria, is unable to afford sending more soldiers to aid our neighbors, as the army can barely defend our own land. So each Lord is responsible for protecting their own fief."

I listened intently as the Lord continued, "Thankfully, it seems like most of the Shades' attacks are concentrated towards the northern alliance of kingdoms. It's almost as if they're trying to cut off our supply lines and isolate us from each other."

"What is the current state of affairs in Valtoria?" I asked, hoping to gather as much information as possible.

Lord Arcturus sighed, "We are holding our own, for now. But our resources are stretched thin and our people are weary from constant vigilance. We have lost a lot of outlying villages to the Shades, but the capital has not fallen, and we over here as you can see, are holding our main stronghold for the time being."

"I see, the situation is not that favorable," I said, my voice heavy. "The Shades have already claimed half of the central east, and the northeast and southeast are barely holding on. The northern alliance is waging a desperate battle against the main force of the Shades, while the west struggles to gather their forces and prepare for the inevitable onslaught."

The Lord and his advisors lowered their heads in shame, "It is like you say, noble Dragon."

"No matter, things will change now that we are here," I said with confidence, Sidus' aura surged by my side, while Breta who was silent the whole time glowed even brighter sending a warm light to the mortals below. Some of the advisors were unable to raise their heads and fell to their knees in worship. The Lord, however, remained seated but lowered his head in respect.

"Please help us, and allow us to assist you, noble Dragons and esteemed Goddess," he said, his voice filled with reverence and desperation. I simply nodded in response, acknowledging the gravity of the situation.

"You may take your leave first. We will discuss our next course of action. Do not despair, for your salvation has arrived," I reassured them, causing their eyes to shine with renewed hope and awe.

****

"What do you guys think?" I turned to my companions and asked.

"Isn't it obvious brother, what is there to think about, we attack this Amara Kingdom, and reclaim it," Sidus said with confidence.

"Sometimes, I wonder if Ynos infected you with his recklessness," I mumbled, causing him to frown.

"Since most of their forces are busy fighting the north, we can easily push back this side and reclaim the land, by the time they notice it'll already be too late," Breta suddenly said.

Sidus's frown deepened as he replied, "The point is to eradicate them, not just reclaim the lands."

"Which is what we are going to do. Have you never heard of the element of surprise?"

"I say we strike the main forces in the north, directly," He shook his head.

I listened attentively to their discussions before finally speaking, "What if we send Sidus to aid the northern alliance, with Breta leading the charge here, and I shall journey to the southeast and northeast kingdoms to lend my aid in pushing back the Shades?"

The duo went silent for a few seconds before they nodded.

"Very well, then our strategy shall be to force the Shades back to the heart of Amara, where we shall obliterate their forces entirely. Agreed?"

"Agreed!" Both of them nodded with determination in their eyes.