The Assembly Hall of Tenebrous was a monolithic structure, its spires clawing at the sky like the talons of some slumbering beast. In better days, it had been a place of wisdom and diplomacy. Now, it was nothing more than a stage for the puppeteers and their bloody games.
Lee Sung stood in the shadows of a crumbling wall across the street, studying the building. Golden banners adorned with Helios's sun emblem fluttered from every balcony, a stark reminder of the new regime. Soldiers in gleaming armor patrolled the perimeter, their faces cold and indifferent.
Tonight, the Council had called a grand assembly. Summoners, politicians, merchant lords, and war chiefs would gather to "celebrate the new order" — but Lee Sung knew the truth. It was a consolidation of power. A warning to any who still dared to resist.
He slipped through the outer defenses like smoke, the shadows parting before him. Scaling the cracked stone of a forgotten maintenance tunnel, he entered the underbelly of the Assembly unnoticed.
Inside, the air was thick with incense and the murmur of false pleasantries. A grand hall stretched before him, filled with opulent tables and golden chandeliers. Rich food and finer lies were passed hand-to-hand like poisons at a feast.
At the head of the hall sat Helios himself, radiant in white and gold, a crown of sunlight hovering over his head — a theatrical trick designed to impress the weak-minded. Lee Sung's lip curled in disgust.
Beside Helios stood Jin — his former would-be ally — wearing a new set of gleaming armor. His face, once earnest and kind, now twisted into a smirk as he conversed with the noble elites.
Lee Sung tightened his grip on the dagger hidden beneath his cloak. Not tonight, he reminded himself. Killing Jin here would be satisfying, but it would expose him too soon. Tonight was for gathering intelligence. Tonight was for patience.
He moved along the shadows, weaving between marble columns and heavy velvet drapes. As he listened, the true extent of the corruption unfolded before him.
---
"The old order was weak," Helios declared, raising a goblet of wine. His voice echoed through the hall, commanding attention. "They let chaos reign. They let monsters rule the streets. But under my light, there will be unity. Prosperity. Purpose."
The crowd applauded, though Lee Sung noted it was more out of fear than conviction.
"Of course," Helios continued, "there are those who would oppose progress. Traitors. Terrorists. Lee Sung among them."
Murmurs spread like wildfire. Some clutched their pearls. Others exchanged knowing glances.
Helios smiled thinly. "Fear not. We are close to rooting out the last of them. Soon, there will be peace."
Peace, Lee Sung thought bitterly. A peace bought with chains and blood.
Near the dais, Jin leaned in to whisper something in Helios's ear. Helios nodded, and a page boy scurried off with a sealed letter. Lee Sung sharpened his focus, tuning into nearby conversations.
"You heard the rumors?" a merchant lord whispered to a priestess, his voice thick with wine. "They're planning a culling."
"A culling?" she gasped.
"Anyone suspected of disloyalty. Summoners, merchants, even scholars. They'll round them up, publicly brand them as heretics... or worse."
The priestess blanched. "And the Council allows this?"
"Allows it? They orchestrated it," he said, laughing darkly. "The old codes mean nothing now. Only survival matters."
Lee Sung's fists clenched at his sides. This wasn't just about him anymore. Helios was turning the city into a dictatorship, using fear and loyalty oaths to strangle any remaining freedom.
It wasn't a reign. It was a purge.
---
He withdrew deeper into the shadows, finding a service corridor that led toward the Council's private chambers. If he could find evidence — documents, plans, anything — he might still have a chance to expose them.
The corridor was deserted except for one guard posted at the end. A quick shadow-strike silenced the man before he could cry out. Lee Sung dragged the body into a niche and continued onward.
Beyond the guard, he found what he sought: a war room.
Maps of the city were spread across a massive table. Red and gold pins marked districts loyal to Helios; black pins marked "problem areas." Lee Sung's heart sank as he spotted familiar names among the black — safe houses, old allies, even neutral ground sanctuaries.
They were planning a sweep within days.
A battered ledger sat open on a stand beside the maps. Lee Sung's fingers hovered over it, reading rapidly. Names, addresses, offenses — most were innocuous: speaking out of turn, refusing to display Helios's sigil, minor disagreements. These people weren't criminals. They were free thinkers. And they were all marked for death.
At the bottom of the ledger, a new page had been started. It bore a single name.
Lee Sung.
And below it, the words: "Extreme caution advised. Kill on sight."
---
He closed the ledger, heart pounding, mind racing.
There was no going back now. Not that there ever had been.
He tore a corner from the map — the section listing the culling targets — and stuffed it into his cloak. Proof. Enough to rally at least some of the underground factions still left in Tenebrous.
But it wouldn't be enough to save the city alone. He needed something bigger.
A symbol. A spark to ignite rebellion.
Lee Sung crept back into the Assembly Hall, his gaze falling once more on the golden banners, the proud sigil of Helios shining from every wall.
Burn the banners, he thought. Burn the false symbols. Show them Helios is not untouchable.
The shadows whispered agreement.
---
Ten minutes later, as the Assembly reached its drunken, self-congratulatory crescendo, the first banner ignited.
A few gasps. Confused murmuring. Then a second banner burst into flame. Then a third.
Within moments, the grand hall was in chaos. Flames licked the high arches, casting monstrous shadows over the terrified faces of the gathered elite.
Helios stood, his aura flaring, trying to restore order. But fear is a contagion, and panic had already taken hold.
In the confusion, Lee Sung slipped away, leaving only the message scorched into the great doors behind him:
"The true sun will rise."