The silence that followed the thud of Harus's lifeless body was absolute. For a heartbeat, the Great Hall of the Bright Castle became a vacuum of sound and motion.
Seishan stood among the spectators, her breath hitching in her throat. Her eyes were fixed on Alista Tudor, who stood battered and bloodied, yet undeniably victorious. She had known the Blood Emperor was strong—her intuition for power was rarely wrong—but never in her wildest dreams had she expected him to dismantle Harus in a one-on-one duel. Harus was more than a man; he was Gunlaug's shadow, a monster that haunted the nightmares of every Sleeper in the city.
'It seems I placed my bet on the right person,' Seishan thought, a faint, predatory thrill dancing in her chest.
The reaction from the other lieutenants was a mixture of horror and disbelief. Tessai, Genma, and Kido stood frozen, their smug superiority shattered. They had operated under the assumption that they were on the winning side of history. To them, the Changing Star had always been the primary threat; even if Alista bore a True Name, the daughter of the Immortal Flame carried a legendary pedigree that demanded respect. But Alista had just proven that pedigree wasn't the only thing that could kill a monster.
In the center of the room, Gunlaug was a statue of golden fury. The air around the throne distorted with the heat of his suppressed rage. His oldest companion, his silent enforcer, was dead—sacrificed on the altar of a Trial of Combat he had sanctioned.
Gunlaug's voice finally broke the silence, sounding like grinding metal. "Release her."
Tessai didn't wait for a second command. He moved with uncharacteristic haste, uncuffing Sid and practically shoving her toward Alista.
Sid could barely lift her head. Her eyes, sunken and bruised, flickered with a mixture of profound gratitude and sheer adoration. As the iron fell away, she tried to stand, but her legs—weakened by torture and trauma—gave way.
Alista caught her before she hit the stones, his hands steady despite his own exhaustion. "Hey, hey. Easy. You aren't in the best state to be walking on your own."
Sid looked up at him, her voice a hoarse, painful rasp. "Why? Why did you… fight for… me?"
Alista looked down at the fragile girl in his arms, his expression softening just for a moment. "Didn't I tell you? If you got into trouble, I'd look out for you. I'm a man of my word."
He began to guide her toward the exit, ignoring the hundreds of wide-eyed Sleepers. The crowd parted like the sea before him. Shock and awe followed in his wake like a physical trail. Artemis, Gwen, and Klaus were waiting by the doors, their faces bright with the relief of seeing him alive.
Fors leaned against a pillar, crossing her arms to hide the slight tremble in her hands. "Took you long enough," she remarked, her voice dry but her eyes glistening.
Alista flashed her a tired smile and stepped out of the castle, leaving the golden tyrant alone in his hall of shadows.
Hours later, the atmosphere in the Blood Emperor's quarters was hushed.
Sid lay in a clean bed, her breathing shallow as she drifted in and out of an unconscious sleep. Gwen hovered over her, her hands glowing with a soft, iridescent light as she painstakingly knit together broken skin and mended internal bruising.
Artemis stood by the window, watching the moonlight filter through the ruins. She turned to Alista, who was nursing his own bandaged shoulder. "Why did you really go through all that for her? Risking a fight with Harus for a girl who isn't even in our cohort?"
Alista looked at her, then back at the sleeping Sid. "Why do you ask?"
"Well," Artemis said, her voice softer now. "You said you'd save her, and you did. I just want to understand what goes on in that head of yours."
Alista was silent for a long moment. "When she first spoke to me about an alliance, I felt a flicker of something rare in this place. Innocence. She actually believes people can be better. I wanted to protect that, I suppose." He paused, his gaze darkening. "This world is cruel enough to destroy everything good. Sometimes, you have to kill a monster just to keep a single light from going out."
He looked around the room. "Where are Fors and Klaus?"
"They went out to meet with the crowds gathered outside," Artemis replied. "Apparently, the people have given you a second nickname."
Alista blinked, genuinely surprised. "What is it?"
Artemis suppressed a smile. "The Forgotten Shore's Hope."
Alista let the words sink in. In a realm of eternal darkness and despair, being called 'Hope' was a heavy mantle. "That is… surprisingly soothing," he admitted.
"Fors and Klaus are regulating the visitors," Artemis continued. "The Changing Star's group wants to check on Sid, and more than that, they want to thank you. You've become their hero in Nephis's absence."
Gwen let out a soft sigh, her healing light fading as she finished her work. She turned and signaled to Alista: [So, 'Hope of the Shore,' what is our next move? We definitely have Gunlaug's full attention now. He won't let this slide.]
Alista's face turned serious. "We need to find a definitive way to defeat Gunlaug. Until we are ready, we lay low and—"
"Lay… low… huh?"
The three of them turned to the bed. Sid was awake, her eyes fluttering open. She looked at Alista with a weak, teasing smile. "I… guess… that… would be hard… for you now."
Alista smiled back. "Artemis, let the people outside know she's awake."
Artemis and Gwen left the room to deliver the news, leaving Alista and Sid in the quiet.
"So… thanks," Sid whispered. "You really stood up for me."
"It's fine," Alista replied. "Just get your strength back."
Sid let out a hoarse, rattling laugh. "Are there… people waiting for me?"
"Yeah," Alista said, gesturing toward the door. "Quite a few. They're apparently very fond of you."
He patted her hand gently. "Rest well. You're safe here."
As the first group of visitors trickled in to see their friend, Alista retreated to a dark corner of the room. He watched the tears and the laughter, but his mind was already miles away, calculating.
'I have to defeat Gunlaug,' he thought. 'I have the Dawn Shard, but it's not enough. Not nearly enough to crack that golden armor.'
In the opulent quiet of her bedroom, Seishan sat on the edge of her bed, replaying every second of the duel in her mind. The way Alista fought and Victory
'I made the right bet,' she whispered to the empty room. 'If anyone is getting us out of this hellhole, it's him.'
There was a soft knock on the door. Amy, one of her handmaidens—a girl with pitch-black hair and deep, dark skin dressed in stark white—entered the room.
"Lady Seishan," Amy said, bowing. "Lady Kido is here to see you."
Seishan straightened her silks. "Let her in."
Kido entered moments later, her expression uncharacteristically somber. She looked around the room before settling her gaze on Seishan. "How are you, Seishan?"
"Well," Seishan replied, her tone turning cold and professional. "I'm still processing the fact that our 'invincible' Harus is currently a corpse."
Kido let out a sharp, dry laugh. "You were the only one who believed in Blood Emperor. You chose him over the rest of us."
"So, what do you think now?" Seishan challenged. "Still think the Blood Emperor is all bark and no bite?"
Kido was silent for a moment, then sighed. "Who would have thought? Harus was a nightmare, and Alista put him down like a stray dog." She paused, her eyes narrowing. "Fine. As we discussed before... Me, you, and Genma will join the Blood Emperor's Alliance. We'll throw our weight behind him against Gunlaug."
She looked at Seishan intently. "I hope you're right about him, Seishan. Because if he fails, Gunlaug will skin us all alive."
Seishan looked toward the window, her reflection ghost-like in the glass. "He won't fail. He can't afford to."