Soulbound: Dual Cultivation

"Your Majesty of Rus," The King began, "you asked me earlier for my alliance terms. You have now seen with your own eyes what Xavier is capable of, and what this kingdom has quietly nurtured. The matter before us is not a trivial one. What he has achieved could alter the very foundations of power in this world."

The emperor gave a short nod, his heavy brow furrowing. "I do not deny it. What I saw today will not be forgotten. My empire cannot afford to look away from such a force. Speak plainly. What do you want of me?"

The King straightened, his gaze sharpening. "We are willing to share the knowledge of spatial teleportation with Rus."

The emperor's face lit up immediately, his lips parting in the faintest smile, but before he could voice his satisfaction, the King raised a hand. "But not with Rus alone. We intend to bring in a third party...Lechia."

The emperor's expression hardened at once, his smile vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. He leaned forward, his tone sharp and almost biting. "Lechia? Do you forget, that my empire and theirs are hardly on speaking terms? The blood of our soldiers still stains the borders from our last skirmish. You would have me sit at a table with men who would gladly stab me in the back the moment I looked away?"

King Alden did not flinch. His tone remained composed, but his words carried a weight that pressed against the air. "I do not forget, Your Majesty. Nor do I ignore the grievances between your people and theirs. But understand this...what Xavier has touched upon is not a gift to be hoarded by a single empire. It is a force that will inevitably spread. If Valerion alone aligns with Rus, Lechia will grow wary, and suspicion breeds enemies. If we align only with Lechia, the same would happen with you. But if all three kingdoms stand together, suspicion gives way to balance. No single hand will hold the blade over the others."

The emperor scowled, his jaw tightening. "Balance, you call it. I call it shackles. Why should I share what my empire needs with an enemy I would rather see broken? Why should Rus agree to stand shoulder to shoulder with those who once raided our villages and stole our caravans? You speak of peace, but peace with Lechia is a chain I have no wish to wear."

The King met his gaze firmly, his voice lowering but gaining in force. "Because if you refuse, you will not wear a chain...you will face a storm. Xavier has only begun to scratch the surface of what lies in the void. Do you think Rus can afford to turn its back on this? Can you afford to let Lechia seize it alone, If that happens, Your Majesty, the balance you despise will still be broken, but not in your favor."

The emperor's hands curled into fists at his side. His eyes narrowed as he regarded the King, clearly torn between outrage and the cold rationality that had made him a ruler. At last, he released a low, guttural breath, his voice tinged with reluctant admission. "You place me in a corner, You dangle before me the chance to claim power beyond measure, yet you tie my hand to a rival I would rather see burn. This alliance you propose will not be easily digested in Rus. My council will resist it, my generals will despise it, and my people will question it."

"Then you must show them," the King replied calmly, "that Rus is strong enough to rise above grudges, that it is wise enough to see beyond the past, and that it is bold enough to grasp what the future offers. The road will not be easy, but it will be far more dangerous to walk it alone."

The emperor fell silent, his dark eyes fixed on the ground. At length, he straightened again, his shoulders heavy with the weight of the decision before him. "I hear your terms," he said finally, his tone laced with both reluctance and thoughtfulness. "But do not mistake my silence for consent. To bind Rus and Lechia in the same pact… it will take more than persuasion."

"If you are not comfortable with what I have suggested," he said slowly, "then we may proceed with the first terms that were already laid out between us. My daughter, Princess Nyx, will be given to you in marriage as a symbol of goodwill and lasting bond like we planned. But if that is the path you choose, then you must understand something clearly. There will be no talk of spatial teleportation, no sharing of Xavier's work, no access to the foundation of what may one day reshape the world."

The emperor's jaw tightened, and his fists closed until his knuckles whitened. His eyes burned with frustration as he glared at the King, the night wind rustling the black and crimson cloak that hung from his shoulders. "You would offer me a bride," he growled, his voice low but sharp, "but withhold the very thing that could secure an empire's future?"

The King's expression remained calm, his gaze unwavering. "You and I both know the value of binding two houses. But spatial teleportation is more than a treasure. It is a weapon, a tool of conquest, a force that can tip the balance of nations. I will not hand such a thing to any one power unguarded, not even to Rus."

The emperor turned sharply, pacing a few steps before stopping. His voice rose, filled with irritation. "You speak as though you are offering me a choice, but in truth, you corner me. You place Rus in a position where we gain a wife but lose an empire's advantage. You think I cannot see it? You know well that what I truly desire is not your daughter's hand but that boy's discovery. You flaunt it before me as if I were a beggar at your gate."

"Not a beggar," The King corrected smoothly, his tone calm but laced with steel. "A partner. There is a difference."

The emperor scoffed bitterly. "A partner shackled to Lechia? Never. I want nothing to do with that viper's nest. My blood runs cold at the thought of sitting at the same table with them, let alone sharing power." He paused, his voice dropping into a growl. "But without me, you cannot hope to keep Lechia in check. Do not think I do not see their ambition. You would put me beside them as a safeguard, yes? So that Rus does not rise too high and Lechia does not take too much. Clever, Very clever. But I am no fool."

King Alden leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "If you withdraw from this agreement, if you refuse what I offer, then understand what will happen next. Valerion can seal an alliance with Lechia instead. We are not enemies in the way you are, not bound by the same bitterness. And if they do, then Lechia will gain the knowledge you refuse, and Rus will be left with nothing, no teleportation, no advantage. Can your empire afford to watch its rivals leap forward into an age you cannot follow?"

The emperor's face darkened with fury. His breathing grew heavy, and his thick brows pulled together in anger. "You dare?" he hissed, his voice rising with each word. "You would hand Lechia this gift, knowing full well what it would mean for Rus? You would strengthen my enemy simply because I will not bow to your terms? You insult me, You insult my empire."

The King did not falter. His voice remained measured, unyielding. "I insult no one. I speak only of truth and consequence. I offer you a place at the table of power. If you refuse to sit, then do not be surprised if another takes the chair you abandon. The world does not wait for hesitation."

The emperor's hands trembled slightly, whether from rage or from the weight of the decision pressing down upon him was unclear. His lips curled into a bitter sneer, and he spat the words as though they burned his tongue. "If Lechia gains this, then Rus will suffer a blow I cannot ignore. To watch my rival wield such an advantage while we remain blind would be the greatest humiliation. That is what you want, is it not? To leave me with no choice but to bend?"

The King held his gaze firmly, his silence speaking louder than any denial.

The emperor let out a sharp breath, his eyes blazing with frustration. He wanted the spatial teleportation desperately; his every instinct screamed of the power it promised. Yet the thought of sharing that gift with Lechia, of being tied to them by King Highmoor's scheme, left a bitter taste in his mouth. His pride warred against his reason, but already he knew the truth, he could not afford to let his enemies seize what he had just witnessed with his own eyes.