The council chamber swarmed with fear.
Dozens of nobles stood pressed against marble pillars, whispering furiously. The scent of panic hung thick in the air. Mage-scribes scribbled notes with shaking hands. Generals argued in low, frantic tones.
And at the center of it all—
Ariaxa.
Seated beside Kaedan.
Not behind him.
Not below him.
Beside him.
Kaedan ignored every scandalized gasp.
He hadn’t let go of her hand since they entered.
Not even when nobles demanded protocol.
Not even when the High Blood Chancellor stammered, “Your Majesty—this is highly irregular—”
Kaedan simply growled:
“She stays.”
Ariaxa watched them all.
But this time, she wasn’t guessing their intentions.
She felt them.
A new sense curled behind her eyes — a shimmering gold veil that peeled back masks and revealed truth.
Her Sun-sight had evolved.
She could see their emotions like colored threads:
Fear—grey and trembling.
Lust—red and sickeningly bright.
Resentment—black smears.
Greed—green, oozing.
Curiosity—silver sparks.
The entire council burned in her vision.
Some feared her more than Kaedan.
Some wanted to use her.
A few wanted her dead.
And some… some bowed in their hearts already.
One noble cleared his throat loudly, stepping forward with the arrogance of a man who had never known fear.
“Princess Ariaxa,” he said, hovering on the edge of insult, “this sudden evolution of your bond is… alarming. For the safety of the empire, we require proof that you are not a—”
He hesitated too long.
Ariaxa tilted her head gently.
“A what?” she asked softly.
He swallowed.
“A weapon,” he finished. “A weapon the Emperor can use to control us.”
A ripple of shock ran through the chamber.
Kaedan’s jaw tightened, but Ariaxa squeezed his hand once.
Let me.
She rose gracefully.
The noble smirked, emboldened by her calmness.
“A display of your new… abilities, perhaps,” he sneered. “Something to reassure us you aren’t a danger.”
Ariaxa smiled sweetly.
Her Sun-sight showed black resentment coiling in his gut.
She stepped toward him.
The noble stiffened.
“Reassurance?” she asked softly. “Very well.”
She lifted her hand—
Just a fraction.
No spell.
No chant.
Just intention.
Sunlight cracked the marble floor beneath his boots.
A glowing fissure raced outward like lightning, stopping just before his feet.
The noble gasped and stumbled backward.
The chamber froze.
Silence became a solid thing.
Ariaxa lowered her hand.
“My power responds to truth,” she said gently. “Not politics.”
The council trembled.
Even Kaedan inhaled sharply at her side.
Not in fear.
In awe.
He looked at her with something raw, reverent, undone.
Mine.
Equal.
More than equal.
Ariaxa sat back beside him, the golden crown-sigil on her chest glowing softly under her gown.
A noble whispered, “She commands the Sun…”
Another: “She eclipses the Emperor…”
Another: “This is prophecy…”
Before Kaedan could demand order—
The chamber doors burst open.
A messenger fell to his knees, eyes wide, hair plastered to his face with sweat.
He was shaking.
“Sire—Princess—”
Kaedan snarled, “Speak.”
The messenger’s voice cracked.
“The Prophets—”
The entire council inhaled sharply.
“They—they demand audience. Immediately.”
Kaedan stiffened.
“The Prophets do not demand,” he said slowly. “They predict.”
The messenger shook harder.
“Not this time.”
He lifted a trembling hand toward Ariaxa.
“They say the Sun-Eclipse Queen has risen.”