Following right behind the old wolf, Emery made his way into the inner part of the Silvermane Palace.
Since he heard that the King wanted to see him, he thought he would be led to the throne room, but contrary to his expectations, they walked to a room located in the corner of the palace—an area devoid of any sunlight.
In spite of that, this room was probably the most guarded area Emery had seen here, with dozens of elite guards standing outside the place.
Before he could say anything, Warwick spoke to him in a stern tone.
"Keep your head down and be respectful. Do not speak unless asked to," the old wolf said.
Such words made Emery both anxious and a little curious, especially after he saw the Alpha King's body inside the Apex facility. Will he really meet the Alpha King? Or something else entirely?
With those questions swirling in his mind, Emery stepped inside. Behind the door there was another dark room. There were only a few rays of light shining within, providing enough visibility for him to make out the seated figure, whose silhouette could be seen behind a silvery veil.
Even though he couldn't see the figure clearly, Emery could sense the powerful aura in the room as soon as he walked in. Now that he was just a few meters away from the other person, he could feel his knees getting weak. Even so, he stood his ground and resisted the pressure.
Moments later, a voice was heard from beyond the veil.
"I see… You are indeed a rare breed."
Emery maintained his expression, but various thoughts flew through his mind as he tried to interpret what was happening. What he had just heard was really the voice of the Alpha King, Marcus Silvermane, the man he had seen at the Blood Moon Festival.
He quickly bowed his head and showed his respect. "My utmost respect to the Alpha King."
"No, no… It's not very respectful to come here with a mask, don't you think?"
It was a reply so unexpected it caught Emery off guard and left him unable to muster a response. Before he could gather his bearings, he suddenly felt a powerful spirit energy crash into his body, causing his innate ability [Shapeshifting] to be dispelled and reveal his true face.
Worried he was now in danger for fooling the other party, Emery quickly went down on his knees to apologize. But just as his knees were about to touch the ground, he felt his body stop and be pulled up to his feet again.
"There is no need for such courtesy... especially for you, Emery Ambrose, the Savage Acolyte."
There was a certain excitement in the voice, but then it was suddenly followed by a series of dry coughs.
Much to his surprise, the Alpha King began talking about him, the tournaments he had participated in and how a young wolf half-blood, who came from nowhere, was able to stand at the pinnacle of the Magus Universe.
"You have made the Wolf bloodline proud. You made me proud."
Hearing those words from the other party was certainly a relief for Emery. However, since he was still not sure what to say, he continued to maintain his silence and strained his ears to listen. The words that sounded in the air next once again caught his utmost attention, especially with the mention of a particular name.
"I envied Lucius for having a junior like you in his pack, so it really pained my heart when I heard that you died. Yo–"
The Alpha King suddenly stopped talking as he sensed a change in Emery's emotions. The silent atmosphere remained for a while before he spoke once more. "That's right. You came here in secret, didn't you? Something must have happened between you and your patriarch. Tell me."
The friendly aura the other party had been exuding suddenly turned one hundred and eighty degrees, becoming an authoritative one that demanded nothing but answers. Understanding his current situation, Emery knew he could only say the truth.
"He, the patriarch, killed my master."
"That's unfortunate," the Alpha King said with a long sigh.
Another moment of silence passed between the two of them before the Alpha King said, "Young wolf, come closer."
Those words seemed to surprise the old grand magus and he was about to stop Emery when the Alpha King's voice sounded again. "It's okay, Warwick."
On the other hand, Emery couldn't help but be a little anxious. Still, he slowly approached the silvery veil and promptly stopped several feet away. But again, the Alpha King told him to come closer.
Emery heeded the words and walked until he eventually stood before the silvery veil. The moment he opened it as requested, what he saw in front of him shocked him to the core.
It was the sight of the seated figure of an old man covered in skin and bones.
There was not a single trace of the powerful figure he had seen at the festival in the person before his eyes.
He remembered the other party appearing to be limping with a cane at that time, but it was definitely not as devastating as this. It also greatly surprised him that the intelligence gathered by Tatyana or the Ouroboros spy had never mentioned this.
"What you are seeing now is the aftermath of the curse of the Wolf God that has prevented me from being able to lead my kingdom properly," the Alpha King said in berated breath now that they were in such close proximity.
He looked at Emery and said, "It really hurts me to see the Wolf clans fighting among each other and I can't do anything about it. It also fears me to imagine what our future will be like once I'm gone."
Apparently, the Alpha King's condition was anything but simple. With this information, everything seemed to click in Emery's mind. The reason why the relations between the three factions seem to be in trouble. There was also the matter of the body he had seen in the Apex facility, which he assumed to be related to the Alpha King's condition.
Seeing the powerful man being so vulnerable made him quite emotional as well.
The man looked at him with a serious gaze, saying, "That being said, it is really unwise for you to challenge the Corvin faction... Young Emery, can't you find it in you to not go against them?"
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