Aetherion rose slowly from the mist as the sun crept over the distant hills, its marble towers catching the early light like blades half-drawn. Yet despite the beauty, an unusual heaviness lingered over the capital, one that settled into the streets, the marketplaces, even the palace corridors. Soldiers marched in tighter formations. Council couriers ran with more urgency. Conversations hushed the moment a shadow passed. Rumor had become its own kind of weather.
Lucian felt it the moment he stepped into the council antechamber.
Kael stood beside him, posture disciplined, voice low. "They're waiting. And the tone isn't in your favor."
Lucian inhaled slowly. "It rarely is."
Kael shot him a sidelong look. "Today is different. Word of Selene's victory reached them before your official announcement. They're weaving their own stories."
Lucian didn't break stride. "Then I'll give them the truth before those stories solidify."
