Chapter 53 – Lies in Light
The council chamber was in shambles. Pieces of the roof still smoked from the siege. Healers rushed through the halls. The wounded cried. But Jean stood untouched in the center, Luxclade still clutched in her hand.
The Elders gathered—those who could still stand.
"I want answers," Jean said, her voice cold. "Now."
Master Elric met her eyes. "You already know, don't you?"
"I know Luxclade contains a soul," Jean replied. "A dragon's. I know it wasn't forged—it was bound. And I know Celeste chose me not to wield it, but to control it."
Gasps rippled through the chamber. Some turned pale. Others grimaced, as if she had spoken blasphemy.
"You've all lied," Jean continued. "For generations."
A silence deeper than death filled the room.
Then Silvia stepped forward, her expression unreadable. "She deserves the truth."
Lord Callen slammed his staff. "This is heresy! You speak of Celeste like—"
"Like she's fallible?" Jean snapped. "She is. All gods are. Even Celeste."
Elric exhaled. "It was Martin. Your ancestor. He didn't just wound Antares—he captured one of his own daughters. The dragon called Severra, the Soul-Flame. He and Celeste locked her inside Luxclade as a weapon against dragons."
Jean's fingers gripped the hilt tighter.
"She's alive," she said. "I heard her. She remembers."
"She must never be freed," Callen growled. "If she awakens fully, Luxclade will burn you from the inside out."
Jean stepped forward, gaze like tempered steel. "You've had a thousand years to break the dragons. And still, they grow stronger."
"You're suggesting we unseal her?" Silvia asked.
"I'm suggesting," Jean said, "we talk to her. Understand her."
Callen barked, "That blade is not a friend. It is a chain. You are its warden, girl. Nothing more."
Jean turned, Luxclade gleaming. "Then it's time the warden set the record straight."
She left the chamber in silence, Whitney padding beside her.
As the door shut behind her, Silvia whispered to Elric, "She's going to do it, isn't she?"
Elric's eyes gleamed with something between awe and fear. "Yes. She's going to wake the soul of Severra."
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