The throne hall of the Imperial Palace glittered like a world made of gold and glass, but beneath the beauty, the air reeked of danger. Hundreds of courtiers, nobles, and generals stood in rows, whispering like restless crows. I walked down the long marble path toward the throne, Lian Xueyin just a step behind me.
At the far end, the Emperor sat motionless, his face unreadable under the golden crown. Beside him stood Zhao Tian—tall, regal, and smiling like a wolf that smelled blood. His fiancée, Lady Ling Yue, the same woman who once mocked and betrayed me, stood close to him, wearing jewels heavy enough to hide her shame.
Every step I took silenced the whispers. The floor reflected the blue-red glow of the mark hidden beneath my robe. When I bowed before the Emperor, I could feel the weight of a hundred judging eyes.
"Rise," the Emperor said slowly. "My son, Mukul Zhao… The court speaks of many things. Some name you hero, others—"
"Others call me possessed," I finished gently, my voice calm. "I've heard the titles already."
Laughter rippled faintly among the ministers before dying under the Emperor's gaze. Zhao Tian stepped forward, his smile controlled but his eyes gleaming.
"Dear brother," he drawled, "it's been years. The last time we met, you were kneeling on this floor, stripped of title. How time changes things."
I met his eyes. "Time doesn't change the truth, brother. It only reveals who wears which mask longer."
The silence that followed crackled like lightning. The Emperor frowned. "Enough of riddles. Zhao Mukul, you have returned after exile, bearing… unusual power. Rumours claim you wield divine energy. Explain yourself."
I raised my hand slowly. The air shimmered. Arina's energy flowed through me, calm and steady. I didn't unleash power—only enough to let the court glimpse balance itself. The Snowfire aura flickered briefly, twin lights swirling together before fading.
"I serve no demon," I said firmly. "I walked through frost and flame. The gods didn't bless me—they tested me. And I survived."
A murmur spread through the chamber. Some elders bowed in silent respect. Others looked afraid.
Then Zhao Tian laughed, low and cold. "Survived? Or cheated fate? You returned with a strange power and a foreign woman beside you. Who's to say you haven't allied with northern spirits?"
Lian Xueyin's eyes flashed like shards of ice, but I raised a hand to stop her. "Careful, Zhao Tian," I said quietly. "You speak as though truth were still your ally."
He stiffened. "What are you implying?"
I turned toward Lady Ling Yue. Her face twitched faintly — guilt hiding behind pride. "Do you remember, my lady," I said softly, "how you accused me of poison years ago? How your tears helped condemn me?"
Gasps spread through the court. The Emperor's expression darkened. "That matter was settled long ago—"
"Was it?" I interrupted gently. "Because I have proof that it wasn't."
From within my sleeve, I drew a folded parchment sealed in gold wax. A recent discovery—evidence Arina had helped me uncover using her Eyes of Balance.
"This document," I declared, letting the guards take it to the Emperor, "is the record of the imperial physician of that year—a confession written before his death. It proves that the supposed poison was planted under Prince Zhao Tian's order, delivered through Lady Ling Yue, who pretended shock at what she herself staged."
For a breath, no one moved. Then the court exploded with noise.
Voices shouted, nobles gasped, and accusations flew like arrows. The emperor's face turned pale. "Zhao Tian—is this true?"
Zhao Tian didn't flinch, but his smile cracked. "Lies!" he snapped. "Forged words from an exile's tongue!"
But the Eyes of Balance within me pulsed faintly, revealing golden threads of energy that rippled around him—the mark of deceit.
I stepped forward. "Lies?" I said coldly. "Then why does the truth tremble every time you speak?"
The energy flared. The courtiers gasped as Zhao Tian's aura flickered violently—truths unravelling, his composure breaking. Even the Emperor leaned back, eyes wide.
Lady Ling Yue's voice broke as she fell to her knees. "I only did what he told me! He said it was the only way—"
Her words died in the echoing hall. Silence crushed everything. Zhao Tian's fury burned bright enough to kill. He turned sharply to the Emperor, desperate. "Father, she's delirious—my brother's magic confuses her mind!"
But the damage was done. The court's whispers turned into a storm.
When the Emperor finally spoke, his voice shook. "Leave me," he ordered everyone except his sons and Lian Xueyin. "All of you. Now."
The hall emptied of voices and footsteps. Only the ticking sound of the emperor's staff against the floor remained.
He looked at me long and hard. "Mukul… I sent you away to protect this empire from shame. But if this truth holds…"
"It does," I replied firmly. "And I no longer seek revenge, Father. I only seek balance—justice for a throne lost to lies."
Zhao Tian took a step forward, his aura flaring crimson with fury. "You dare challenge me here, in the heart of my empire?"
I looked up at him, calm and unshaken. "It was never yours, brother. You just borrowed its shadow."
The words sliced deeper than any sword. His face twisted, but before he could unleash his rage, a faint sound filled the hall—a low rumble that was not of men.
Arina's voice suddenly whispered in my ear, laced with dread. "Host—be careful. The shadowy presence from the mountains… It's here. It entered the court."
I froze.
The chandelier flames flickered blue. A cold wind swept through the sealed hall. The Emperor rose from his throne, startled. Shadows stretched unnaturally along the walls—long, twisted, alive.
Then, a whisper—not human, not god—cut across the silence.
"Balance… must break before rebirth."
Arina's tone hardened. "It's the one I warned you of—the Dark System's vessel."
Zhao Tian's eyes widened for a moment—then a smile crept across his face, as if some unseen voice called to him, too.
Arina's words echoed sharply through my mind. "He's already touched by it. The darkness feeds on jealousy—and his heart burns with it."
I gripped the Snowfire Blade. Lian stepped closer, frost forming in her palm. The golden light of the throne hall flickered between red and blue, between truth and shadow.
And standing before my brother, seeing the darkness curl behind his smile, I realized this wasn't just a battle for a throne anymore.
It was a war for the balance of worlds.