Aric stepped into the Senate House.
The building reeked of tension, smoke hanging heavy and pressing down like expectation. Grand columns lined the hall, their long shadows stretching across murals of past emperors and battles won.
Rows of high-backed seats spiraled upward, filled with the empire's most influential nobles.
At the very center, upon an elevated throne, sat his father, Emperor Xavier Valerian—flanked by his three sons: Valen, Sylas, and Darius. Each regarded Aric with varying shades of curiosity, contempt, and veiled calculation.
As Aric advanced to the chamber's center, Duke Thadrian Varys, Speaker of the Senate, raised a hand. The murmurs fell silent. Thadrian was no partisan figure—he held power not by force, but by the secrets he collected from every senator present.
His careful gaze settled on Aric.
