Aurelia returned to the palace courtyard, but something had changed. Blood stained the marble. Soraya lay on the ground unmoving. Lucien knelt beside her, breathless, begging her to wake.
A shadow stood behind them, cloaked, faceless. "This is not real," Aurelia said.
"But it could be," said the figure. "To save your unborn child, you must give us Lucien. To save Lucien, you must give us the child. Choose."
Aurelia felt the breath leave her lungs. "No."
"You must choose."
"No." Her hands shook. "There's always another path."
"Wrong answer."
The shadow moved. A dagger flashed toward Lucien
Aurelia stepped between.
The blade struck her chest.
But instead of falling... she burned.
Light flared from her body, silver and gold, raw magic cascading through the garden, shattering the illusion. The shadow screamed and evaporated.
The Speaker returned.
"You chose sacrifice," they said quietly. "And in doing so, refused to play the game." They bowed.
"You are no longer our enemy. You are... the Breaker of Cycles."