There was silence in the chamber, broken only by the faint crackle of Mouriana’s presence, a living tempest compressed into a physical body. She descended closer to Lord D—Quan, her featureless face standing out against the vivacious energy radiating from her being.

Lord D—Quan quivered, his broad shoulders hunched, his head nearly pressed to the polished floor. The man who had moments ago dared to challenge me was now a shell of his former self, cowering under Mouriana’s dominance.

“You grovel now,” Mouriana growled. “But moments ago, your tongue was sharp, your words unchecked. Where is your bravado now, D—Quan?”

“I meant no disrespect,” he stammered, hurriedly slurring his words. “I” I did not know’”

“You did not care to know,” Mouriana interrupted, her tone colder than ice. She straightened slightly, the luminous contours of her form flickering as if they were struggling to contain her disdain. “You speak without wisdom, blind to the forces that sustain this realm. Be thankful the supreme successor is merciful, or your soul would already be mine.”

My heart pounded against my ribs, and I swallowed hard, torn between awe and unease. This was power in its purest, most dangerous form, and while a part of me felt vindicated, another part bristled at the precedent she was setting.

Mouriana, that’s enough, I thought, forcing my voice through our bond. They’ve learned their lesson.

Her essence rippled against my consciousness, a faint hum of defiance. Have they? Or have they merely bowed because they fear me?

I glanced around the room. As Mouriana’s magic and the dark veil’s energy merged in the chamber, an unnatural hum rose from it. Now I noticed the carved stone walls, veined with the luminescent roots of the Great Wealdel tree. Seated in a crescent formation, the High Council members—Faes and Elves alike—remained on their knees, their eyes fixed on the floor, while the non-faerie representatives wore different looks: wariness, confusion, and outright disbelief.

I drew in a slow breath as I met Mouriana’s unrelenting light. They bow because they fear you, not me.

Mouriana turned to me, her movements almost serpentine, and her gown rippled like shards of fractured moonlight. “Words are fleeting, mere echoes in the void unless followed by action. Show them why they should fear you.”

I felt her command settle over me like a mantle. She was right. It was about time I proved my place, and not just to the council, but to the races they represented. These were the architects of Wridel’s power, and they doubted me. That doubt needed to be shattered.

“Raise your filthy heads!” Mouriana roared.

Lifting my chin, I met the gaze of the council members, who raised their heads. “If you doubt my power, if you question Gaia’s selection, then you question the very legacy of Wridel.” I sounded angry, but I really wasn’t. I was just done being forced into a box. “You will understand why I was chosen.”

With a flick of my wrist, I summoned a sphere of water from the air. It hovered above my palm, bright like liquid crystals. My fingers moved effortlessly, shaping the water into a spiralling column. It twisted and expanded, filling the room with the scent of sea spray and the gentle sound of crashing waves.

“Impressive,” a voice muttered from the shadows. “But is this all? Parlour tricks?”

My gaze snapped to the speaker. I didn’t need Mouriana’s influence to show him the extent of his error. Without breaking eye contact, I raised my other hand. The column of water shattered into countless droplets, each suspended in mid-air like a constellation of stars.

The room fell silent as the droplets coalesced into blades, their edges sharp and shiny. With a twist of my fingers, they moved as one, cutting through the air in a deadly dance that circled the council members. Gasps of fear rippled through the chamber as the blades spun faster, slicing with accuracy, before reforming into a gentle sphere that settled back into my palm.

No one spoke. Their pale faces were enough.

“More,” Mouriana’s voice purred in my mind. “Show them the storm within.”

A small smile curved my lips as I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply. The bond with Mouriana surged to life, a torrent of energy that thrummed through my veins, illuminating my skin in patterns that resembled flowing rivers. The chamber trembled, the Great Wealdel’s roots rumbling as they responded to my call.

When I opened my eyes, I felt a glow in them churning like the sea before a tempest. I raised my hands high, and the ground beneath me rippled with an invincible force.

Water erupted from the floor, spiralling upward in torrents. The liquid twisted and danced, moving unnaturally, as though it had a mind of its own. Light flickered within the water, tiny specks resembling fireflies, and the currents took shape—serpents, hawks, and wolves, their forms fluid but fierce as they moved with predatory wickedness

“Enough!” Loreleia roared at me, her robes billowing as she raised a wall of stone for protection. But the water serpents slithered around it effortlessly, wrapping around her in a display of dominance that stopped just short of harm.

The urge to crush her with my power was tempting, one Mouriana fed eagerly in the depths of my mind. But I resisted, forcing the serpents to dissipate into mist. Loreleia stood stiff, her pale face betraying the fear she fought so hard to mask.

I lowered my hands, the room falling into a profound stillness. The water receded, leaving no trace of the storm that had filled the chamber moments before. Only the faint mist in the air and the widened eyes of the council bore witness to what had just transpired.

Straightening, I looked each of them in the eye. “Power without purpose is chaos,” I said. “But I am not chaos. I am Wridel’s legacy. Gaia’s chosen. My purpose is to protect Wridel, to unite its people, and to uphold its legacy. Test me again, and I will bury you.”

Mouriana stepped forward, her light nearly blinding me as she addressed the room. “She is the storm that will cleanse this realm and the tide that will carry it into a new era. Bow if you must—but it is not submission she seeks, but unity. Anything less will be crushed.”

“If I may, your divinity,” Lord D—Quan said cautiously, his voice quieter now, his shoulders hunched as if bracing against Mouriana’s wrath. He lowered himself into a deep bow. “Your grace, there must have been a misunderstanding somewhere. We acknowledge you as the supreme successor and’”

“If truly you do, there’s no better time than now to swear her in.” Mouriana cut in through his plea.

The doors to the chamber slammed shut with a unexpected boom, the force rattling the stone walls. Every head turned, startled, even Devon’s, though he quickly masked his surprise.

Mouriana’s form shimmered beside me, her brilliance painting sharp contours of light and shadow across the chamber. Her hands rose, and her even without features, I could feel her emotions. Right now, it was a blend of fury and divine judgment. Above us, dark fog twisted and writhed. Tendrils of power crackled in the air like angry whips.

Devon moved closer, his hand brushing against mine. “C—il,” he murmured. “What’s happening?”

“I don’t know,” I whispered back, though a part of me—the part that had gotten tired of the council’s arrogance—welcomed the chaos. It was time for them to see me as a force.

Mouriana’s gaze locked onto Loreleia, who stood motionless, her green robes pooling at her feet like moss spilled over stone. The sovereign’s face was pale, her lips pressed into a thin line as she struggled to maintain composure.

“Name her,” Mouriana commanded, and her voice rumbled through the chamber like thunder. “Or I will strip you of your titles, your magic, and your will. Do your duty, Sovereign, or I will unmake you.”

Loreleia flinched, her composure fracturing. Slowly, she sank to her knees, the fight draining from her body. Her lips moved, but no sound came out at first, as though the words themselves rebelled against her pride.

Devon’s hand found mine. “Stay steady,” he murmured. “This is your moment.”

Loreleia’s voice quivered as she spoke the ultimate words, each syllable brittle but inevitable. “By Gaia’s decree, I name Celeste Le Torneau the Supreme Successor. By the power vested in this council, we acknowledge your worth as Wridel’s next Supreme Sovereign. May your reign be one of wisdom and strength.”

The whispers of her declaration faded in the air as a heavy silence fell over the room. I stood motionless, letting the gravity of the moment sink in. Every gaze was on me—some filled with anxiety, others reluctant respect, but none dared to look away.

This was a line crossed, a mark set. Wridel’s fate had shifted, and there was no turning back. I didn’t move, didn’t speak, I simply let it settle. I let them feel it—the inevitability, the finality of my ascension

Mouriana’s laughter shattered the silence, a sound both victorious and haunting bouncing off the chamber’s ancient walls. “You see?” she said, her voice filled with unrestrained triumph. “This is how Wridel survives. Through strength and truth. Let this be a lesson to all of you conniving filth.”

Then she turned to me. “How do you respond, Celeste Le Torneau?”

I took a deep breath as I nodded. Slowly, I let go of Devon’s hand and stepped forward. “It shouldn’t have come to this, Lady Loreleia. You have failed your selection and the sovereignty of Wridel.”

Loreleia bowed her head, her shoulders stiff with shame. “Your Grace” forgive me.”

Forgive her? Mouriana’s disdain rippled through my thoughts like a cold wave. How quaint.

I tilted my head, my gaze fixed on Loreleia. “Forgive you for what exactly?” I asked her.

The council murmured, the attention of the room shifting slightly, some of the fear giving way to uncertainty. Before anyone could respond, an unnatural chill crept along my skin. The dark fog that Mouriana had subdued above began to stir, curling and writhing like a living thing. It twisted upward, coalescing into a single, foreboding point high above us.

Mouriana tilted her head, her featureless face aimed toward the swirling darkness. “Ah,” she mused, her tone dripping with sardonic amusement. “And I thought we were done with this.”

Devon stepped closer to me. “C—il, what is that?”

I shook my head, my pulse quickening as the vortex grew, its presence radiating a malevolent energy that immediately clawed at the fringes of my awareness. “I don’t know.”

The chamber crackled with a foreign power, its resonance deep and sinister. It wasn’t just dark magic, it was more than that. Mouriana’s presence surged within me, her readiness like a coiled spring and I immediately know what was happening.

“This is the dark veil,” I told Devon. My hand ignited with the faint blue veins of power that marked my bond with Mouriana, the light flickering like fire against my skin. I turned to Devon, my gaze locking with his. “Stay close. Whatever this is, it’s not going to leave without a fight.”