Roman spat blood and barked laughter that shook his broken ribs. "Hah! I knew it. You rattled the whole nest, Leon. Now they'll swarm us!"
Liliana's silver threads thrashed wild as if resisting the oppressive weight. She gritted her teeth, voice breaking. "No—this isn't a swarm. This is a council. They come not as soldiers, but as rulers. Together."
Naval slammed his molten fist against his chest, dragon-light boiling from his scales. "Then let them sit their council. We'll burn it from the marrow up!"
Roselia, her emberblade trembling in her grip, shook her head. Her eyes held the tremor of awe and dread both. "No, Naval. You don't understand. To break one Throne was unthinkable. To break two… impossible. But if they come together…" She swallowed. "This is not battle. This is reckoning."
Milim only grinned, fire writhing violet madness around her. "Reckoning tastes good."
The rift screamed.
And then—they came.
