The atmosphere within the Primal Neon Tower thickened with solemnity as the blue-gold light of the Sea of Thalassara refracted across the crystalline walls. It cast rainbow arcs across the polished floor, and every glimmer seemed to fall gently on Rose Adrian, seated calmly upon the golden throne, an image of poised grace.
Before her, the two delegations stood, their leaders still bowing low.
It was then that their gazes flickered, not toward her, but toward the woman who stood silent to the side.
The True Magitech Throne.
The silver-haired Sky Dharma Queen of Terravolt straightened slightly, her animal-hide garments flowing as she turned toward Aliya and bowed deeply once more.
"Throne Aliya," she said with a formal tone, the Terravolt warriors behind her following suit with practiced discipline.
The golden-armored Sky Dharma King of the Glacivane Dynasty also turned, bowing as he spoke.
"Throne Aliya of the Magitech Dynasty, it is an honor."
Their voices rang with respect, not empty courtesies but genuine acknowledgment. Aliya, after all, was famed for her lineage and her actions. She was one of the few Thrones who had not bent the knee to terror or temptation.
But Aliya only shook her head, a small smile on her lips.
"I no longer carry the title of Throne."
A ripple of shock passed through the delegation.
Even Rose raised an eyebrow slightly, though she did not speak.
The silver-haired Sky Dharma Queen blinked, confusion evident.
The Sky Dharma King's brows drew low in a frown as he hesitated, but before any could ask why —
Heavy footsteps echoed against the luminous floor.
Thorndike entered, his cloak frayed, his once-shining armor dented, but his bearing, his dignity, remained.
His Dharma Kings followed behind him, proud even in their weariness, their vines and thorns whispering across the polished floor.
Thorndike's sharp eyes caught Aliya's form. For a brief moment, something like recognition and a distant memory flickered across his features. He gave her a solemn nod, not the bow of deference but the respectful nod of one Throne to another, acknowledging all that had been lost and all that remained.
Aliya returned the nod quietly.
Thorndike's gaze moved past her then, settling forward.
On the woman seated upon one, and the empty throne beside her, which nonetheless seemed to thrum with suppressed sovereignty.
He paused, standing tall, his battered form tense. He bowed deeply to Rose, not just as a leader to another leader, but as a man paying respects for something he could not repay.
When he rose, he spoke, his voice rough but steady.
"Where is Emperor King Adrastia?"
Rose smiled softly, calmly.
"He is… busy right now."
She answered lightly, not flinching beneath the many gazes on her. Her green eyes were calm, gentle, but not weak. There was no pride in her voice, only truth.
Thorndike nodded, exhaling.
Her Primordium Evolutius Magitech Suit gleaming with faint Evolutius embroidery, the soft waves of her green hair, the kindness shining clear and unobstructed in her gaze.
"And who are you?" he asked, voice respectful but curious.
Rose's smile grew warmer, without a hint of arrogance.
"Queen Adrastia," she said lightly, almost playfully, as if it were still strange for her to say aloud. "That is more than okay."
A soft murmur passed through the visitors.
But Thorndike, Thorndike smiled, a wry, tired smile that still held the dignity of a man who had seen too much but still stood.
Slowly, he dropped to one knee.
He lowered his head before her.
"If you are Queen Adrastia," he said, "then you represent the man who saved my Capital and my people. He told me we would come under his rule, and I wanted to express my gratitude properly. To pay my respects. If you represent him, please accept them."
His Dharma Kings followed, lowering themselves to the floor.
Rose's heart squeezed slightly, but her smile never faltered. She rose from the throne with easy grace, moving down the polished steps, her dress trailing behind her like moonlight.
She reached out, placing a gentle hand over her heart as she nodded.
Her voice was soft, but it carried across the tower with quiet command.
"From this moment," she said, "the Thornveil Dynasty will be considered part of the Adrastia Dynasty. And we are all here to help each other, not to rule by fear, but to stand together."
Thorndike's head remained bowed for a long moment before he slowly rose, his gaze a little brighter, a little less weighed by hopelessness.
Rose turned back to the delegations.
The Sky Dharma Queen of the Terravolt Dynasty and the Sky Dharma King of the Glacivane Dynasty exchanged a long glance.
It was the silver-haired woman who stepped forward first.
She hesitated only a moment, glancing from Aliya to Rose.
"We came under the directions of our Thrones to see the possibility of an alliance. To see this King that Magitech Throne Aliya spoke of. We have seen… much."
Her voice was careful, respectful, but uncertain.
Rose's smile softened. She shook her head gently.
"Yes. You have seen our cities floating in the skies."
Her tone carried no arrogance.
Then, her green eyes sharpened with a light that was bright and cutting, like sunlight refracting through crystal.
"Let's speak bluntly," she said.
The entire Tower seemed to hush as she took another step down, her feet almost silent against the crystal floor.
"No pretenses. No politics."
She swept her gaze over all of them.
"A lot of humans across the Cenotaph Wild Lands are hurting right now. I've seen it myself. Men, women, children, whether they are advanced humans or not, killed. Starved. Hunted. Humiliated."
Her voice broke slightly, and she didn't try to hide it.
She let them hear it.
She let them feel it.
Her hands tightened at her sides, but her face stayed calm, luminous.
"What the Emperor King Achilles, what the man I've known for years, is trying to do… is simply to help those he can."
She looked around, her gaze lingering on each face, Aliya, Thorndike, the delegations, not as a ruler commanding subjects but as a woman asking them to remember something they had long since learned to forget.
"Return to your Dynasties," Rose said softly. "Tell them what you've seen. Tell them what we have here. And tell them what we're trying to do."
She took a deep breath.
"The more Colony Cities that join us in the skies, the fewer humans are left wandering the Cenotaph Wild Lands. The fewer who are left to be slaughtered or enslaved. Tell your people that it is possible, that all humans can be taken to the skies and freed from the Evolutius Catacombs and the Wild Lands."
Her voice dropped, but somehow it became even stronger.
"Tell them that there is hope."
Even the Sea of Thalassara seemed to hush, its waves slowing, its light gentling.
It was the Sky Dharma King of Terravolt Dynasty who finally spoke, her voice hoarse.
The Sky Dharma King of the Glacivane Dynasty nodded.
"We will bring word."
Thorndike's gaze was bright as he watched her, something near awe in his eyes.
Aliya, the former Throne, smiled just slightly.
Granny Lila, seated in the corner, sighed softly.
And Rose, standing beneath the gleaming thrones, beneath the Sea of Thalassara, with the crystalline castle behind her and the Life Spring beyond it, smiled.
But as a woman who would do anything, everything, for the man she loved.
The man who was even now raising new hopes across the Cenotaph Wild Lands!