The Council Chamber vibrated with raised voices long before Bao Bao arrived. He could hear them from halfway down the marble corridor—accusations, demands, threats disguised as political language. The echoes tightened the air like a noose.
When the doors finally opened for him, he stepped inside with Naelith on his right and Veylara on his left. The room fell silent.
Elder Sorell stood at the center of the circular floor, leaning heavily on his cane. His eyes glittered with triumph.
"At last," he said. "The Sun King arrives to hear the motion."
Naelith crossed her arms. "There will be no motion unless the crown approves it."
Sorell smirked. "Spoken like someone who fears losing her throne."
Before Naelith could retort, Bao Bao raised a hand.
"Speak plainly," he said.
Sorell lifted a scroll. "Tonight, the Council moves to redistribute the royal power. Effective immediately, all military command—including the Sunshadow Guard—is to be placed under Council oversight."
The chamber erupted. Some elders cheered, others shouted in protest.
Veylara stepped forward sharply. "Over my dead—"
Bao Bao touched her arm, stopping her. Her breath stilled instantly.
Naelith's eyes narrowed. "This is an attempt to cripple the throne."
"It is an attempt," Sorell said evenly, "to protect Firelonia from its rulers'… distractions."
The implication hung in the air like a blade.
Naelith's posture stiffened, but she held her composure.
Bao Bao exhaled once. "The Starless Legion attacked us twice. And you think now is the time to weaken us?"
"That is precisely why we must," Sorell answered. "Whatever they are, whoever they serve—they are drawn to you."
Bao Bao stared at him. Veylara tightened her grip on her sword. Naelith took one step forward, voice low, dangerous.
"Say it clearly."
Sorell leaned on his cane. "We believe the King is connected to the Legion."
Gasps swept the chamber.
Veylara's hand immediately rested on her blade. Naelith moved as well, instinctively positioning herself closer to Bao Bao—as if shielding him from politics was suddenly the only thing that mattered.
Bao Bao said nothing. Because deep inside, he could not deny the symbol he found under the stone. The pulse that matched his heartbeat.
The silence cracked only when Elder Yura stood.
"You overstep, Sorell."
The old woman's voice carried with unexpected force.
"She has remained neutral for years," one councilor whispered. "If Yura speaks—something is wrong."
Yura walked toward Bao Bao. Her gaze was not suspicious but heavy with knowledge.
"The Legion is tied to prophecy," she said. "Yes. But the King is not its cause. He is its counterweight."
The councilors murmured. Sorell's jaw clenched.
Naelith straightened. "Then this nonsense of stripping power ends now."
"It does not end," Sorell spat. "Firelonia cannot survive rulers blinded by—"
He paused, eyes moving from Naelith to Bao Bao… then to Veylara. The meaning was unmistakable.
"—personal entanglements."
Veylara flinched. Naelith's eyes flashed with a sharp, controlled fury.
Bao Bao stepped forward, breaking formation for the first time.
"Whatever exists between us is our burden," he said. "Not Firelonia's threat."
His voice echoed through the chamber like rolling thunder.
"And the kingdom will not be governed by fear."
Before Sorell could answer, every torch in the chamber flickered.
The elders froze.
The flames dimmed.
Then extinguished.
A cold wind swept the room, circling them, spiraling upward like a silent scream. Bao Bao reached for his Sunblade—only for it to flicker weakly in his hand, as if smothered by an unseen force.
A single elder whispered, trembling, "Not again…"
Dark shapes bled through the walls—figures made of nothing, outlined only by faint silver cracks in the air. Their footsteps were silent. Their presence was crushing.
The Starless Legion had come a second time.
Councilors scrambled back. Sorell nearly fell. Naelith drew her blade instantly, putting herself between Bao Bao and the encroaching shadows. Veylara stepped beside her, stance perfect, eyes locked on the nearest figure.
Bao Bao lifted his Sunblade high.
This time, it refused to ignite.
A voice whispered through the chamber—not spoken, but thought, echoing inside every mind.
"Return what was taken."
The shadows advanced.
Veylara moved first, intercepting the closest figure, her blade striking where a heart should be. The creature dissolved, reforming behind her.
Naelith pulled Bao Bao backward. "Your Majesty, your flame—why won't it light?"
"I don't know," Bao Bao said, gripping the dead blade. "It's like something is… draining it."
More shadows poured in through the walls.
Councilors screamed.
Elder Yura raised her staff, chanting an old, forbidden incantation. Light erupted around her in a thin barrier.
Then her eyes widened.
"Their target is the King. Again."
Naelith cursed under her breath. "They want him alive."
"That means," Veylara said, sword glowing faintly, "they'll tear down everything else."
Bao Bao stood between the two women, each flanking him, each ready to die for him despite their own tangled feelings.
"Naelith," he said quietly.
"Veylara."
Both turned toward him at once.
"We end this together."
And the three of them charged forward into the swarm of shadows as the chamber collapsed into chaos.