My Taming System Makes Me Overpowered

The obsidian doors of the Imperial Privy Council swung shut with the heavy, unyielding thud of iron-reinforced oak. Outside, the sprawling marble spires of the Capital glistened under a brilliant sun, but within the inner sanctum, the air was cool, dim, and smelled faintly of burning cedar and stale wine.

At the head of the long obsidian table sat Emperor Marcus IV.

He did not wear his ceremonial crown, nor his golden battle plate. He wore simple, dark velvet robes, his graying hair cropped tight, his face etched with the cold, immutable geometry of a ruler who viewed the living world as nothing more than ink on a ledger.

Standing along the maps spread across the table were four men: High Chancellor Vane, Grand Marshal Troy, and two senior ministers of the Imperial Crown. All serving directly under the emperor like the dukes.

”The preparations in the eastern borderlands are complete, Your Imperial Majesty,” High Chancellor Vane spoke first, his voice a smooth, cultured purr. ”Over the past four months, under the guise of merchant guilds, agricultural concessions, and mercenary garrisons, we have successfully settled over twelve thousand radicalized human enclaves within the outer fringes of the Moon Elf territories.”

Marcus did not look up from the map. His thin fingers traced the line separating the human duchies from the verdant, ancient forests of Queen Moriele.

”And the Beastkin steppe?” the Emperor asked softly.

”The same, Sire,” Grand Marshal Troy replied, stepping forward. His heavy armor creaked. ”Human settlements have taken root near the river passes. They are armed, trained, and indoctrinated with the Crown’s mandate. They live as farmers and woodcutters today, but the moment the signal is given, they become an army behind enemy lines.”

Marcus finally looked up. His eyes were a pale, washed-out blue, devoid of warmth or hesitation.

”Humanity was forged by the gods to rule this world.” the Emperor said, his tone lacking passion, as if simply stating a law of physics. ”The elves cling to their ancient forests; the beastkin wallow in their primal mud. They are relics of an older, inferior era. Yet, if we march on them openly, their combined strength would bleed our legions dry. We must break their spine from within.”

”Which brings us to the summit, Your Majesty,” Vane chimed in, a subtle smile touching his lips. ”The formal invitation for the Oakhaven Peace Treaty has been dispatched to all sovereign houses.”

”A treaty...” Troy grunted, crossing his massive arms. ”Will the elven Queen truly swallow the bait?”

”Queen Moriele is proud, but her people are tired,” Vane explained. ”And her trusted advisor, Elder Everwood, has proven... remarkably receptive to our diplomatic assurances. As for the Beastkin King, his own wife’s obsession with human luxury will do our work for us. They will come to Oakhaven believing they are negotiating an era of co-existence.”

”Let them believe it,” Marcus said, his voice dropping into a chill whisper. ”Gather them in one place. Lock the gates of Oakhaven behind them. While their leaders sit at our banquet table, our embedded cells will seize their borders. By the time the ink on the treaty is dry, there will be no kingdoms left for them to return to.”

The Emperor leaned back in his high seat, his gaze shifting west toward the map icon representing the Western Duchy.

”What of Duke Owen?” Marcus asked abruptly. ”Has he secured his region for the grand assembly?”

High Chancellor Vane hesitated for a fraction of a second, clearing his throat. ”Duke Owen remains fiercely loyal to your decree, Sire. However... there are reports of internal friction. His vanguard scouts have suffered unusual casualties along the forest trade routes.”

Marcus waved a dismissive hand, turning his back on his ministers as he looked out the high stained-glass window overlooking the city.

”Owen is a weak, posturing fool who relies too heavily on title and bloodline,” the Emperor murmured coldly. ”If he cannot even keep his own borders clean, he will serve as nothing more than the anvil upon which we strike the spark. Ensure the envoys depart for Oakhaven at dawn.”

”By your command, Your Imperial Majesty,” the ministers chorused, bowing low before retreating from the chamber.

---

Four hundred miles to the west, inside the grand estate of the Western Duchy, the atmosphere was far from regal.

THUD!

A heavy crystal decanter shattered against the stone hearth, showering the polished hardwood floor in dark red wine and glass shards.

”You incompetent, paranoid coward!”

Emily stood near the foot of the massive silk-canopied bed, her silk nightgown clinging to her trembling frame. Her flush face was twisted in disgust, her chest heaving as she glared across the bedchamber at her husband.

Duke Owen stood near his dressing table, his fine tunic half-buttoned, his face pale and slick with cold sweat. His hands shook as he fumbled with the silver clasp of his belt.

”Watch your tongue, woman!” Owen spat, though his voice lacked the booming authority it usually carried in the council halls. ”I am the ruler of this duchy! I am executing the Emperor’s divine mandate!”

”You are an impotent pathetic fool!” Emily snarled, stepping over the spilled wine, her bare feet halting just inches from him. ”Look at you! You spend your nights drinking yourself into a stupor, screaming at your lieutenants because your precious shadow assassins haven’t reported back in days!”

”Vesper is an elite assassin and one of my dread commanders!” Owen shouted, his eyes bloodshot, his voice cracking with rising hysteria. ”Vesper does not fail! They are merely lying in wait—”

”They are probably dead, Owen!” Emily mocked, letting out a sharp, cruel laugh that echoed off the high stone walls. ”Or have you become too blind to see it? A single boy—a magicless bastard—is marching through the forests and plains, turning your vanguard into ash, and you sit here in your soft bed, unable to even perform as a man!”

Owen’s face flushed a deep, ugly crimson. He raised his hand, his fingers trembling with rage, but as he met Emily’s cold, contemptuous glare, his arm fell limp at his side. The fire in his eyes died, replaced by the hollow, sickening realization of his own growing powerlessness.

”Get out,” Owen muttered hoarsely, turning his back on her, staring blankly into the mirror on his vanity. ”Get out of my sight.”

Emily curled her lip in utter revulsion. Without another word, she pulled a dark velvet robe around her shoulders, swept past the broken glass, and slipped out of the master suite, slamming the heavy doors behind her.

She walked briskly down the dim, torchlit corridor of the estate, her heart pounding not with fear, but with a strange, violent thrill.

Entering her private boudoir at the far end of the east wing, she locked the door behind her and leaned heavily against the dark wood. The room was warm, filled with the scent of jasmine and dried lavender.

She crossed the room to her balcony, looking out through the iron railings toward the dark, silent expanse of the western forests.

Rumors had been filtering through the estate servants for weeks now. Whispers of a young warrior with golden kinetic lightning, dark dragon scales, and eyes that burned like molten suns—a rogue beast who was dismantling all who stands in his way piece by piece.

Emily slid her hand down the silk of her robe, her fingers trembling as she pressed against her bare thigh. She closed her eyes, letting out a soft, shuddering breath as the cold memory of her pathetic husband faded, replaced entirely by the mental image of the ruthless young man who had her conered that night.

”Come then, little boy,” she whispered into the night air, a dark, desperate smile touching her lips as her hand moved higher beneath her gown. ”Burn it all down.”

---

A short distance outside the estate grounds, hidden within the thick canopy of an ancient oak tree, a solitary figure crouched in total darkness.

Gareth, Duke Owen’s right-hand enforcer, lowered his brass scrying glass.

He had been watching the happenings in malgrath. He had seen the domination and dismantling of the crows. He had seen the utter absence of the Death Crows—no bodies, no gear, nothing left behind except the lingering scent of ozone and crushed mana.

Gareth adjusted the dark leather collar of his coat, his eyes narrowing in cold calculation.

”Vesper is gone,” Gareth muttered to himself, his voice flat, devoid of panic. ”Owen is losing his mind. And the Emperor’s treaty is only weeks away.”

He reached into his vest, pulling out a small, sealed parchment bearing his own personal crest—not Duke Owen’s.

Gareth was no fool. He had served Owen for a decade, but he knew a sinking ship when he saw one.

”What is your move Owen,” Gareth whispered, slipping the parchment into a messenger hawk’s leg cylinder and releasing the bird into the night sky.