The dawn over Firelonia rose in a thick band of gold, brighter than usual—almost as if the sky itself sensed the shift in the kingdom. The Sun Palace stood silent, but the silence was alive, waiting.
Inside the High Hall, Sun King Bao Bao walked beside Sun Queen Naelith, their steps in perfect rhythm. Not by intention, but by instinct—two rulers beginning to grow into the same orbit.
The guards bowed deeply as they passed. Some had the same thought:
Firelonia feels stronger when the two of them stand together.
They didn't speak as they approached the Council Chamber. They didn't need to. Since the Ash Plains report, something had changed. Not in their positions, but in the weight they carried—and how they carried it together.
A messenger rushed to them before the Council doors opened.
"Your Majesties… the Council has reached a split again."
Bao Bao nodded once.
Naelith exhaled slowly. "Then let's steady them."
They entered.
The room erupted.
"Your Majesty, the Ash Plains contact suggests a foreign presence—"
"We should mobilize the Sunshadow Guard fully—"
"No! That risks provoking Pyronis—"
"And yet doing nothing is worse—"
Voices clashed like metal striking metal.
Bao Bao raised one hand. Sunfire flickered across his palm—quietly, controlled. The room fell silent.
"We will not fear shadows," he said. "We will act with clarity."
The Council members leaned in, listening.
Naelith stepped forward next, her voice calm but decisive.
"The Sunshadow Guard will not march blindly. Their first deployment proved their worth, but we need strategy, not panic. We will strengthen our borders and gather more evidence before we accuse any nation."
A few Councilors nodded. A few frowned. A few whispered among themselves.
That was the split.
Bao Bao saw it. Naelith saw it.
But instead of addressing them separately, they addressed the room together.
Bao Bao:
"We are the Sun Throne. We respond with strength."
Naelith:
"And wisdom. One without the other will break us."
Their combined presence quieted even the loudest dissenters.
The councilors exchanged glances. It wasn't agreement—not fully. But it was acceptance. And for now, that was enough.
When the session ended, Bao Bao and Naelith stepped out onto the balcony overlooking the palace grounds. New Sunshadow recruits were training below, moving in disciplined arcs.
Naelith watched the formations. "They're improving faster than expected."
Bao Bao folded his arms. "Firelonia will need them. Whatever left those markings on the Ash Plains isn't finished."
She looked up at him—not as Queen to King, but as one leader acknowledging another.
"We'll be ready," she said.
Bao Bao glanced at the horizon, flames reflecting faintly in his eyes.
"Firelonia stands brighter when the throne stands united."
"And we are united," Naelith answered.
Not soft.
Not dramatic.
Simply true.
The sun rose higher, and the two rulers of Firelonia stood side by side, not as symbols but as strength—growing, steady, unwavering.
Two suns, one throne.
And a kingdom preparing for the storm ahead.