The Council Chamber was colder than I remembered.
High spires framed the ceiling, carved with runes that pulsed faintly with golden light. Seven seats stood in a semicircle, each occupied by a figure cloaked in white and gold the arbiters of all celestial law.
And in the center, chained to the floor with glowing sigils, stood me.
Aster was beside me, his expression carved in marble. He wore his Division insignia, though the burn across his cheek was still raw. He hadn't spoken since dawn.
"Erian Vale," the eldest Councilor said, his voice deep as thunder. "Two days ago, the Black Sun appeared above the Academy — an omen unseen since the War of Heavens. Reports name you as the vessel. Is this true?"
I hesitated. My throat felt dry. "Yes."
A murmur rippled through the chamber.
"And you admit to releasing power beyond control? Magic forbidden since the sealing of the Abyss?"
"I didn't release it," I said. "It it woke up."
The Councilor's eyes flashed. "Then you confirm possession by an unknown celestial entity."
"I said it woke up! Not possessed me!"
Aster stepped forward, voice sharp. "Enough. He saved the Academy. You saw the casualties hundreds would be dead if not for him."
"Commander Aster," another Councilor said coldly, "you forget your place."
He didn't flinch. "No. I remember it perfectly. I protect this realm and right now, that includes him."
The silence that followed was almost suffocating.
The eldest Councilor's gaze lingered on me for a long time, then softened just slightly. "Erian Vale. You will remain under observation. Commander Aster will serve as your guardian. Should your power breach containment…"
The sentence hung heavy.
Aster finished it quietly. "He dies."
The Councilor nodded once. "So decreed."
Chains unbound, sigils fading. My knees nearly buckled, but Aster's hand caught me before I fell.
We walked out without a word.
Only when the heavy doors closed behind us did I whisper, "You agreed too easily."
"I didn't have a choice."
"You could've refused!"
He stopped, eyes dark. "And they would've killed you here. Do you understand what that power means to them, Erian? You're not a student anymore you're a weapon."
My breath caught. "And you're my keeper."
He looked away. "…Someone has to be."
The words stung more than they should have.
Outside, the sky burned red the horizon shimmering with streaks of fire, like the heavens themselves were bleeding.
For the first time since the Black Sun, I felt something stir inside me.
A whisper.
A promise.
A voice that wasn't mine.
"They fear what you are. But he fears what you mean to him."