And then, the world changed.
A light blazed in the center of the hall, brighter than the sun, colder than winter, warmer than summer, crisper than a fall evening and more vibrant than a spring morning. Visata appeared—not as a man, but as something older, deeper, and more real than anything Roan had ever known. He was their Creator, pure, powerful and holy. His presence was overwhelming, a tide that swept through the room, pressing every soul into the floor, filling every heart with terror and awe.
Visata’s eyes swept the hall, seeing everything, missing nothing. His voice was the music of creation, the echo of thefirst word ever spoken. “It is finished. The mated shamans have risen. The time of reckoning has come.”
Roan’s chest lowered further, his heart pounding. Maddie knelt beside him, her fire blazing. Lyric bowed her head, her spirit wide open. Around them, the soldiers and spiders dropped down from knees to their chests pressed to the stone floor. Even Neru was forced to bow by the sheer weight of Visata’s presence.
Visata fixed his gaze on Roan and Maddie, and Roan felt as if his soul were being laid bare. “You, who have been chosen—your bond is a beacon in the darkness. You have shattered the old wards, broken the chains of venom and deceit. The Damarians, for all their pride, have proven themselves unable to master their hunger for power. The time has come to bind the kingdoms more tightly.”
He turned, his voice a blade and a balm. “Freedom is a privilege, not a right. My blessing is not a shelter for the faithless. To be fashioned in my image, to be loved with an everlasting love, is to be held to a higher standard. There is grace, and there is mercy—but there are consequences.”
His words rang through the hall, a storm of truth and judgment.
“Three kingdoms,” Visata continued, “have chosen their own path—a path of selfishness and the lust for power. It will not continue. The suffering of humans cannot be ignored. Those who were captured will be returned to their lives, their memories cleansed, but their souls marked by what they have endured. Let it be a warning to all who would use innocence for power.”
He turned to Lyric, Roan, and Maddie, his expression both gentle and fierce. “You have pledged your loyalty. You will be held to a higher calling. To lead is to serve, to police, to be holy as I am holy. If you fail, the consequences will be severe.”
Roan bowed his head, his voice steady despite the weight of Visata’s gaze. “We accept, Creator. We pledge ourselves to your will, to your justice, to your grace.”
Maddie’s voice trembled, but she did not falter. Even at her young age, the conviction of her words filled her voice, and Roan felt so very proud to have her at his side. “We are yours.”
Lyric, eyes shining with tears and power, nodded. “Always.”
Visata smiled, and the room warmed with hope. “Then rise, my children. The world will watch you. The world will need you. More will join you. Those you least expect will be willing to sacrifice and give everything they are to see my creation flourish. Judgment is coming, but after judgment comes the pardon that is a gift, a mercy to those who have turned away from the darkness that so easily tempts and promises all that your heart thinks it wants.”
There was movement from their right, and Roan’s eyes shifted to see the Kingdom of Silk royals join the group. Both kneeling.
Athena, regal even in her awe, spoke with reverence. “Creator, what of Wolfgang? What of the Kingdom of Claws and the Kingdom of Fangs? The king’s hands at the Kingdom of Chaos are dirty, and the rulers of the other two kingdoms are no doubt headed this way to unleash their own justice.”
Visata’s eyes glowed, his presence a shield and a sword. “Wolfgang will bear the brunt of the rage of two kingdoms. They have already been redirected. Wolfgang and his mate will answer for the chaos they have sown. Judgment is not delayed, though I may use others as the arm of my justice.”
He turned to Cassia, who trembled, her power fluttering wildly. “You, Cassia, have brought suffering and darkness. The fate of your soul will be decided by those you have wronged. Vengeance is mine, but it is also mine to give to others.”
With that, Visata’s presence lifted—a wave receding, leaving awe and silence in its wake. Suddenly the room was filled with oxygen again, and Roan sucked in a deep breath.
Cassia’s world was collapsing by degrees. Her power, her kingdom, her legacy—all crumbling under the weight of the shaman bond and Visata’s judgment. The pain of losing her magic was a physical thing, a searing agony that sent her sprawling across the marble, gasping for air, for dignity, for anything to hold onto.
Roan stepped forward, his eyes cold with righteous fury, his intent as clear as the coming dawn. Cassia braced herself for the end, but before his hand could close around her, Athena’s voice cut through the silence—sharp, regal, trembling with something like heartbreak.
“Wait.”
The word echoed, impossibly loud, across the shattered hall. Roan’s eyes snapped to Athena; his jaw clenched, but he paused.
Athena’s heels clicked against the marble as she approached, her bearing as unyielding as ever, but her eyes shone with unshed tears. She crouched beside Cassia’s crumpled form—queen to advisor, but also sister to sister, and now betrayer to betrayed.
“Why, Cassia?” Athena’s voice was low, choked with pain and incredulity. “Why all this? Why would you betray me, deceive all of us, for chaos and vengeance?”
Cassia laughed, a brittle, broken sound. “You want reasons? After all this time?” Her voice was raw, soaked in old grief. “You and Aurelius—you sent Tevon to the front lines. My mate. You sent him to die in the damned kingdom wars, and then you expected me to keep spinning your webs and smiling for the court. Did you think I could forgive that?”
Athena’s face tightened, shadows twitching in her gaze. “You think I didn’t suffer? Tevon was our friend. We loved him, too. But there was no choice, Cassia. Damaria was bleeding. We all lost someone. I lost a piece of my heart. With every member of our kingdom, I hurt; but I never let myself break the way you obviously did. That’s not how rulers show their love for those who have made sacrifices for their kingdom.”
Cassia spat blood, her lips curling in a snarl. “You had Aurelius. You had your mate. You had your throne. But Dax—he’s all I have. I watched him search for his other half, year after year, left behind while others found their joy. And what did you and Aurelius do for him? For me? Nothing but parade us around like loyal pets.” Her voice cracked, grief overtaking every syllable. “I couldn’t let that be my legacy. I couldn’t let that be his fate.”
Athena’s mask finally slipped, grief and regret twisting her features. “You think I wanted any of this? You think I haven’t lain awake at night, wishing things were different? But I can’t rewrite the past, Cassia. None of us can. All we can do is try to build something better. And now, because of this—” she gestured to the carnage, to the trembling web, to Cassia herself, “—we must build from the ashes, maybe not in the literal sense, but figuratively. You have betrayed us and that will shake the foundations of every member of this kingdom.”
Cassia, once full of ambition, felt her spirit dull with resignation. “Ashes are all you leftmewith.”
A heavy silence fell, thick with the ghosts of the past. Athena stood, her sadness stark and regal. “You could have come to me. But you chose hate. You chose disloyalty."
