[House Vaelric — Grand Hall — Continuation]
The moment Lytharion stepped into the grand hall, every soul instinctively lowered themselves. Their very instincts screamed at them to kneel.
"Greetings..." the voices of the Imperial Knights echoed as one. "...to the Lord of Darkness."
Even the Commander of the Imperial Guard lowered his head until it nearly touched the marble floor. Lytharion didn’t acknowledge them; his golden eyes slowly swept across the rows of kneeling soldiers.
One glance and that was all; a faint crease appeared between his brows.
"Why..." His calm voice echoed through the hall. "...am I seeing so many unfamiliar...and rather annoying faces inside my mate’s residence?"
The hall froze; not one knight dared lift his head. Even Captain Riven swallowed nervously. Lytharion finally looked toward Kael; the coldness in his expression disappeared almost imperceptibly.
"My Queen, what has happened?"
Kael hesitated. "The Spirits...have chosen the next Emperor of Qashmar."
Lytharion merely blinked once. "And?"
Kael looked toward the kneeling Imperial Knights before answering. "They...have chosen me. They came to escort me to the Imperial Palace."
Silence, an absolute silence.
For several heartbeats...Lytharion simply stared at him, then the shadows beneath his feet rippled quietly like an ocean before a storm.
"What kind of absurd judgment it is."
The temperature inside the hall plummeted, every candle dimmed, and the sunlight pouring through the windows seemed to retreat. Lytharion slowly turned toward the Commander; his golden eyes had become frighteningly still.
"Tell me. Which Spirit reached this conclusion?"
The commander lowered himself even further. "M-My Lord...It was the unanimous judgment of the Sacred Spirits."
"Unanimous," Lytharion repeated the word, and then...he laughed, a humorless sound.
"...How disappointing."
No one understood whether he was mocking the spirits...or pitying them; his gaze swept across every Imperial Knight.
"Have the Spirits become so forgetful...that they no longer remember the oldest law carved into creation itself?"
No one answered.
Lytharion continued.
"Neither a deity nor the acknowledged mate of a deity...may ever rule the affairs of mortals. The balance between the Divine Realm and the Mortal Realm was established long before your empire drew its first breath."
His eyes narrowed.
"And yet the Spirits knowingly placed the crown...upon my mate. Who gave them permission...to gamble with the balance of the world?"
A suffocating pressure descended upon the hall; the marble beneath their knees groaned. Grand Duke Lior slowly stepped forward.
"Shadow king," Lytharion’s gaze shifted toward him as Grand Duke Lior bowed respectfully. "The Spirits are older than any mortal. I cannot believe they acted without considering the consequences. If they have chosen Kael...then surely there must be a reason beyond our understanding."
The hall remained silent, then Lior continued carefully.
"Perhaps...there is still a way to reconcile both laws."
Lytharion looked at him without emotion. "Reconcile?"
There was unmistakable authority in his voice as his golden eyes swept across the hall
"No. My mate...is already the acknowledged Queen of Darkness; he has no need of another throne, and he certainly has no need...to shoulder the ambitions of mortals."
He walked toward Kael; each step echoed like the tolling of an ancient bell. When he stopped before him...he gently took hold of Kael’s wrist; the black mark of the Lunar Bond beneath Kael’s skin shimmered faintly.
Lytharion lowered his gaze to it. "The Darkness exists to observe, to witness, and to preserve the balance; we do not interfere, and we do not rule."
His fingers tightened ever so slightly around Kael’s wrist.
"My mate may have been born a mortal, but the moment I acknowledged him beneath the Lunar Moon, his existence also became part of the Realm of Darkness."
His golden eyes swept across every Imperial Knight as his voice echoed through every corner of House Vaelric.
"So hear my decree. My queen...will not ascend your throne, he will not wear your crown, and he will not rule your empire...I forbid it."
Just a calm decree, as though the matter had already been decided long before anyone in the room had been born. The commander felt cold sweat run down his back.
"But the judgment of the Spirits cannot—"
Lytharion looked at him only once; the commander immediately fell silent.
"Be careful," Lytharion said quietly. "You are speaking to the one who stood beside the spirits...before your empire possessed a name."
The commander lowered his head so quickly that his forehead struck the marble floor. "Forgive me."
Without another word... Lytharion turned away, still holding Kael’s wrist, and dragged him away with him. Kael looked back at his father; his eyes carried both apology and helplessness.
Grand Duke Lior gave a small nod of understanding.
Together they walked toward the enormous doors; the Lord of Darkness walked calmly through the hall, taking with him...the spirits’ chosen emperor.
BOOOOM!!
The massive doors slowly closed behind them.
Silence engulfed House Vaelric once more.
The Imperial Knights remained frozen; Captain Riven was the first to recover. He stepped beside Grand Duke Lior, his voice heavy with unease.
"Your Grace, if the Lord of Darkness refuses to release Lord Kael...and the judgment of the Spirits cannot be overturned...then who shall sit upon the Imperial Throne? Will the Empire remain without an emperor again?"
No one answered because there was no answer.
Grand Duke Lior slowly closed his eyes as a weary sigh escaped him.
"This matter has surpassed the authority of nobles...and even the Imperial Court." He looked toward the distant mountains where the Spirit Temple stood.
"There is only one place left that may answer this impossible question: the High Priest."
Another heavy silence settled over the hall.
For the first time in the history of Qashmar, the will of the Spirits...had collided with the decree of the Lord of Darkness. And no one knew which law the world itself would choose to obey.
***
[Kael’s Chamber — Later]
SLAAAMMMMM!!!!
The massive wooden doors crashed shut behind them; the echo rolled through the chamber like distant thunder. For a long moment...neither of them spoke.
Lytharion finally released Kael’s wrist; the sudden loss of support made Kael stumble back a step before catching himself against the edge of the table.
Silence.
Lytharion closed his eyes, his fingers disappearing into his obsidian hair as he slowly brushed it back with frustration.
Kael had quietly watched him ever since they had met... Lytharion had always appeared calm and untouchable. As though nothing in existence could disturb him.
But now something was different.
"I apologize, but may I ask if becoming Emperor is truly enough...to make even the Lord of Darkness lose his composure?"
Lytharion’s eyes settled upon Kael. "You becoming mine...is the greatest curse you will ever carry."
Lytharion turned toward the window; outside, the morning sun illuminated House Vaelric. For a brief moment the Lord of Darkness simply stared at the light.
"The world believes that the gods rule fate, but they do not. Fate has never excused even the god. We cannot break the rule of divinity; the spirits hear prayers, and the gods answer prayers and deities..."
He lowered his gaze.
"...carry those answers into existence."
Kael listened in silence. Lytharion continued. "We exist between Heaven...and the mortal world. We are forbidden to interfere. We cannot crown kings. We cannot choose emperors and we cannot decide who lives...or who dies."
His voice became colder.
"Balance, that is our only purpose."
"Then why can’t I become emperor?"
Lytharion turned; those ancient golden eyes met Kael’s. "You do not need to understand everything; there are truths...that become burdens the moment they are known. So do not seek answers where I refuse to give them."
The room fell completely silent. Lytharion’s voice echoed one final time.
"You are not allowed...to become emperor; obey the words that come out of your husband, do you understand?"
Those words carried the weight of an unbreakable decree. Kael lowered his eyes. "Yes. I understand."
Another silence followed.
Lytharion quietly closed his eyes as a faint sigh escaped his lips. One so soft...it almost sounded like relief. Kael glanced at him; the question that had been weighing upon his heart since the Imperial Knights arrived refused to disappear.
His voice came out quietly, almost hesitantly.
"Is it truly that disturbing...if I become emperor? And yet...I feel as if my life is not mine anymore."
A silence so heavy...
That even the wind outside the chamber seemed to stop. Kael stared at him; his heartbeat echoed loudly inside his chest. Lytharion had never explained, which frightened Kael far more than any answer ever could.
Outside...the bells of the Spirit Temple rang across the empire, once, twice, and three times. As though announcing...not the birth of a new emperor.
But the beginning of an ancient fate...that had awakened once more.