Every street, branching path, and sloping stairway of Veylith functioned as a collective, rhythmic artery, feeding into a single vital point—the towering spire at the heart of the city, its jagged height slicing into the lantern-lit sky like a monument to terrifying, beautiful ambition.
Banners of Crimvane stretched between the stone structures like woven lines of iron authority, their crimson hues catching the flickering amber glow of ten thousand paper lanterns.
Pressed shoulder to shoulder, the crowd angled forward in a posture of involuntary reverence, their attention held captive by the silent, looming promise of the heights before them.
Faces tilted upward toward the velvet stars. Even those positioned too far to see the balcony clearly still craned their necks, as if the act of seeing wasn’t the point—only the direction of their shared gaze mattered.
They were no longer three fractured kingdoms, but a single name hanging above them like a celestial omen—Crimvane.
“Are we really safe here?” a citizen from Aurelyth asked, his voice trembling. “She won’t execute us, right?”
“Don’t worry, as long as you don’t cross the line, that is,” a man from Crimvane replied.
Between the golden glow of the lanterns and the silence that wasn’t quite silence, a current of murmurs threaded through the crowd. These were words kept close to the lips and closer to the ear—passing glances that spoke of a shared, trembling uncertainty.
Every whisper, every flickering spark of Aether, and every waiting gaze pulled toward that single, elevated balcony.
And then, they waited.
From the high balcony of the tower, two figures stepped into the light. One was a tall young man with a presence as dark and indifferent as the night sky. Beside him stood a vision of radiant white, her form glowing against the velvet shadows of the spire, her blood-crimson eyes seeming to pierce the very souls of those standing hundreds of feet below.
“Is that… the Queen of Crimvane?” A man from Aurelyth stared upward. “Wow… she’s beautiful.”
“Yeah,” a woman next to him agreed. “She’s nothing like the ‘dull, soulless princess’ we heard about before.”
“Huh? Who are you?!” the man asked, a slight blush coloring his cheeks as he looked at the woman.
“Oh, hello!” The woman waved at him with a smile. “I’m from here, Eryndor. I’m guessing you’re from Aurelyth?”
Scratching the back of his neck in mild embarrassment, the man leaned a little closer. “Ah, yeah… nice to meet you.”
Suddenly, the crowd surged as others pressed forward to get a better look at the rulers above. The woman was jostled, bumping directly into the man’s shoulder and leaving them staring at one another.
Letting out an awkward laugh, the woman said, “It… it really is crowded, huh?”
“Y-yeah! Only the people of our capital came, and even then, most stayed behind, but I guess this is just how it is?” Avoiding her gaze, the man looked back toward the balcony, his eyes landing on Noa. “Wait… who is that?”
“Whoever it is,” the woman whispered, her cheeks flushing an involuntary rose, “he’s a hundred times handsomer than you.”
“H-hey—!”
“That’s our Lord Noa, the partner of Lady Vionette,” someone behind them answered. Their tone brimmed with a casual, almost arrogant pride, as if Noa’s handsomeness were a personal achievement of their own.
“Just ‘Lady’ and ‘Lord’?” the Aurelythian man stammered, horrified. “Do you have a death wish?”
“Quite the opposite in Crimvane. And now, that includes you as well. Address them casually—it’s the way of our kingdom.”
While the thousands below engaged in their hushed debates, Noa turned to Vionette, meeting her gaze.
Both were dressed in outfits that defied the traditional rigidity of royal attire—custom creations from Nymira’s shop that leaned decidedly modern.
They shared a small, private nod, a silent understanding passing between them, before pivoting back to the sea of faces. As they stepped forward, the boisterous murmurs died into a profound silence.
“People of Aurelyth, Eryndor, and Crimvane. You came here carrying different names, different pride, and different scars,” Vionette’s voice cut through the air with crystalline precision. “People of Crimvane and Aurelyth… you’ve spent years at the lowest edge of the world, haven’t you? Once feared, then reduced to something others could use, push, and discard like refuse.”
She paused, letting the stillness linger for a few seconds.
The Aurelythian man’s expression darkened into anger as he twitched forward, but the woman beside him gripped his arm tightly, anchoring him in place.
“People of Eryndor.” Vionette’s gaze shifted. “You survived not through strength, and not through pride—but through coin. You paid for your lives in gold, buying a fragile stability from a world that would have otherwise erased you without a second thought.”
The words landed in the hearts of the Eryndorians hard. The woman beside the man bit her lower lip, dropping her gaze to the ground.
“These were all different paths, but they led to the same end. None of you were allowed to stand where you truly wanted, but now, you stand here, don’t you?” She raised a hand, extending it toward the horizon as if claiming the very stars themselves for her people. “Not as Aurelyth, not as Eryndor, and not as the Crimvane you remember—but only as what remains.”
The crowd looked at one another in a state of collective disorientation. The Aurelythians had expected chains; the Eryndorians had expected a lecture on taxes and indifference. But none of that came.
“I didn’t invite you here to remember your kingdoms; I invited you here to forget them.” She paused, her voice dropping into a deeper, more resonant register that vibrated in the chests of every person present. “Names have power.” She took a step forward. “And tonight… claim yours.”
The children, held aloft to catch a glimpse of the distant balcony, were slowly lowered. They looked up in confusion, only to see their parents’ eyes swimming with a cocktail of surprise, hope, and disbelief.
The elderly felt their eyes brighten with unshed tears that mirrored the golden lantern-light, while the older children who understood the gravity of the moment smiled with pure, infectious elation.
“From this moment on, you do not belong to Aurelyth; you do not belong to Eryndor; you do not belong to the ghosts of the past Crimvane.” Her gaze swept across the horizon, claiming everything the light touched. “You belong… to Crimvane, ‘The Cursed Kingdom’.”
Her decree concluded, Vionette pivoted and vanished back into the tower where the nobility and the formal gala awaited.
“That’s it! Enjoy the festival to the fullest!” Noa called out, offering the crowd a casual, sweeping wave before following her inside.
Behind them, the dam of silence broke. A roar erupted from the streets—a singular, thunderous word shouted in perfect unison, shaking the very foundations of Veylith:
“…Crimvane!”
***
Inside the lavishly decorated ballroom, Carvan, Korneas, Valric, Roswell, and the dukes of Eryndor had gathered with their wives, forming rings of whispered secrets. They spoke in hushed, guarded tones about the future, their voices lost beneath the sweeping orchestral music that drifted through the hall like a golden fog.
Below them, the lesser aristocrats mingled, wearing tailored outfits that resembled a fusion of high-fashion and battlefield utility—all custom-made for this unprecedented meeting of powers.
“Where are those two?” Korneas asked, looking around the circle that included Carvan, Valric, and Roswell with Livora. “The speech should’ve ended by now.”
“Yes, I need to thank them for saving me from that trap Gemsh set,” Carvan added, his eyes scanning the empty hallway leading to the ballroom.
“Lucien doesn’t seem to be around either.” Valric took a slow, methodical sip of his wine, his brow furrowed in thought. “In fact, the entire inner circle seems to have vanished.”
“Rose went to get them, so they’ll be here soon,” Roswell offered, though his expression carried a lingering trace of worry. “Though, I don’t know how they’ll act in front of all these people.”
“Don’t worry, Roswell,” Kaelen chimed in from the side with an easy smile. “When it’s time, they will perform perfectly.”
His navy-blue shirt shifted slightly as he strode toward them. The soft leather of his loafers, peeking out from beneath black trousers, tapped out a slow, steady rhythm as they echoed against the polished floor.
“Speaking of which,” Kaelen said, stopping as he turned toward the hallway. “There they—”
His words died in his throat. The others turned to follow his gaze, their own prepared greetings faltering on their lips.
From the shadows of the hallway, Rose emerged. She walked with a measured, rhythmic grace, her rose-colored dress flowing like liquid petals around her.
“Rose… where are they?” Carvan asked, his confusion mounting as he peered past her.
She glanced over her shoulder at the empty space behind her. “Right here—”
Rose’s words died mid-sentence as she froze. She looked at the expectant onlookers, whipped her head back toward the empty corridor, and then turned back to the group, her composed expression slowly unraveling.
Roswell pressed a hand to his forehead, a knowing, resigned smile touching his lips. “I suspected something like this was going to happen the moment I saw that mischievous glint in their eyes.”
“Kaelen! You’re with me!”
Rose suddenly snapped, grabbing Kaelen by the arm with an iron grip that completely belied her elegant appearance. She marched toward the side exit, her expression shifting into a scowl that was perhaps a bit too serious to be entirely genuine.
“Let’s find those two quickly!”
“Ah! Yes!” As he was dragged away like a sack of grain, Kaelen looked back at the stunned group of nobles and flashed a quick smile. “Don’t worry, we’ll find them! You can start the toast if we’re late!”
Bursting through the side doors, the two escaped the building, stepping out into a night bathed in the distant, golden glow of lanterns and the muffled, joyous roar of the festival.
Rose released Kaelen’s arm. The two of them straightened their postures, their eyes meeting for a brief, electric second. A swift wind swept through the alleyway, carrying the rich scents of woodsmoke, roasting meats, and untethered celebration.
In perfect synchrony, they extended their hands and slapped them together in a crisp beat—a celebratory gesture for a flawless escape successfully executed.
“Lady Vionette…” Rose smirked, her strict facade finally cracking into a look of unbridled amusement. “You are a genius.”
They were free. And now, the only thing left to do was—
“—to enjoy the day to the fullest,” Kaelen repeated, echoing their rulers’ exact parting words with a grin.
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