Blackhorn did not sleep.
The city pretended to—windows shuttered, patrols doubled, streets cleared under the excuse of post-ceremony security—but beneath the surface, fear and speculation churned without restraint. Whispers slid through taverns and alleyways, climbed walls, seeped into noble estates and guard barracks alike.
The same questions repeated endlessly.
Was that imperial power?
Had the Blackhorn legacy awakened?
Was Rael Blackhorn hiding his strength all along?
Rael sat alone in his chambers, helm resting on the obsidian table before him.
He had removed the ceremonial armor, but the pressure had not left.
It lingered—subtle, watchful—like the memory of a hand placed briefly on his shoulder and then withdrawn. The Justice System had gone silent after its declaration, yet Rael could still feel it, coiled somewhere just behind his thoughts.
Waiting.
He pressed his palms against his face and exhaled slowly.
"I didn't threaten suicide because I wanted to be brave," he muttered. "I did it because it was the only leverage I had."
[INTENT ACKNOWLEDGED]
Rael stiffened.
"…That's not comforting."
[COMFORT NOT A SYSTEM FUNCTION]
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.
"Figures."
A knock echoed against the chamber doors.
Sharp. Formal.
Rael straightened immediately.
"Enter."
The doors opened to reveal Councilor Vesh and two others—senior members of the ruling council. Their expressions were carefully neutral, but Rael had spent seven days watching them closely.
He recognized panic when he saw it.
"Your Majesty," Vesh said, bowing deeply. Too deeply. "We wished to ensure your well-being."
"I'm alive," Rael replied flatly. "Which seems to be everyone's primary concern."
The councilors exchanged glances.
Vesh smiled thinly. "Blackhorn cannot afford instability."
"You're afraid," Rael said. "Not of Valcerion. Of what I triggered."
The silence that followed was confirmation enough.
"You allowed Lily to be targeted," Rael continued calmly. "You did it publicly. In front of Valcerion."
Vesh's jaw tightened. "We did not anticipate your reaction."
"No," Rael said. "You underestimated how little I value myself compared to what you want from me."
That landed.
"Sit," Rael said, gesturing toward the table.
They obeyed.
"You will explain," Rael continued, voice steady, "why soldiers bearing council markings were sent to dismantle an orphanage without my approval."
Vesh inhaled slowly. "Your Majesty, the restructuring—"
"Try again."
A pause.
"The orphanage was… inconvenient," Vesh admitted carefully. "Its location overlapped with ancient infrastructural seals. We intended to relocate it quietly."
"And Lily?"
Vesh hesitated.
Rael leaned forward.
"She is known to be close to you," Vesh said at last. "Which made her… a variable."
Rael smiled.
It was not kind.
"You will never use her again," he said. "Not as leverage. Not as bait. Not as a test."
"Your Majesty—"
"If she is harmed," Rael continued, "I will do exactly what I promised today. And whatever you're planning dies with me."
The councilors went pale.
Vesh bowed his head. "Understood."
Rael leaned back.
"Good. Then get out."
They left quickly.
Too quickly.
Rael exhaled and rubbed his temples.
[COERCIVE SELF-TERMINATION THREAT DETECTED]
Rael froze.
"…You're going to punish me for that, aren't you?"
[NEGATIVE]
[SELF-SACRIFICE INTENT CLASSIFIED AS ALTRUISTIC EXTREMITY]
[WARNING: REPEATED USE MAY TRIGGER ESCALATION PROTOCOLS]
Rael blinked.
"…I don't like that wording."
[DISLIKE NOTED]
The second knock came an hour later.
This one was unannounced.
Unescorted.
Rael did not need to ask who it was.
"Enter," he said.
Valcerion stepped into the chamber alone.
No guards.
No advisors.
No weapons.
He closed the door behind him gently and surveyed the room with open curiosity, eyes lingering on ancient sigils carved into the walls—some faintly glowing, others dormant.
"You live with ghosts," Valcerion said mildly.
"They're quieter than most guests," Rael replied.
Valcerion laughed softly.
"I will be direct," Valcerion said, turning to face him. "What you displayed today was not simple authority."
Rael folded his arms. "I didn't display anything. Something happened to me."
"And yet," Valcerion continued, "the land responded. The throne answered. Soldiers knelt without compulsion."
He studied Rael intently.
"That is Legacy Sovereign behavior at minimum," Valcerion said. "Possibly higher."
Rael met his gaze evenly. "You think I'm hiding power."
"I think," Valcerion corrected, "that you are dangerous without intending to be."
Silence stretched between them.
Valcerion smiled again—this time without humor.
"Do you know why my territory prospers?" he asked.
Rael said nothing.
"Because I do not fear systems," Valcerion continued. "I catalogue them. Understand them. And when possible—align with them."
He took a step closer.
"What touched you today was not imperial authority," Valcerion said quietly. "But the world mistakes it for such."
Rael's pulse quickened.
"You knew," Rael said. "The moment it happened."
"Yes," Valcerion admitted. "Which is why I did not interfere."
He inclined his head slightly.
"You chose an extreme threat," Valcerion said. "One that forced every interested party to reveal their priorities."
"Did I pass?" Rael asked dryly.
Valcerion's eyes gleamed.
"You impressed me."
Rael frowned. "That's not reassuring."
"It shouldn't be," Valcerion replied. "Admiration from me has consequences."
He straightened.
"I will make you an offer," Valcerion said. "Not tonight. Not publicly. Soon."
Rael narrowed his eyes. "An offer for what?"
Valcerion paused at the door.
"For guidance," he said. "Before others less patient decide to test whether your threat was sincere."
He opened the door.
"One more thing," Valcerion added without turning. "Do not threaten your life lightly again."
Rael stiffened.
"That system you touched," Valcerion said, "will not always interpret such intent kindly."
And then he was gone.
Rael did not move for a long time.
The chamber felt colder without Valcerion's presence.
"He knows," Rael murmured.
[ACKNOWLEDGED]
"And he's not afraid."
[CORRECTION: VALCERION IS AFRAID]
Rael blinked.
"…He is?"
[OBJECT OF FEAR: YOU AS A VECTOR]
Rael laughed weakly.
"That's worse."
Elsewhere in the keep, beneath sealed sigils and sound-dampening wards, the council convened in emergency session.
"This was not the plan," one councilor hissed.
"He invoked imperial-scale resonance," another snapped. "Valcerion noticed."
"We needed compliance," a third said. "Not attention."
Vesh stood at the head of the table, expression grim.
"He is no longer ignorant," Vesh said. "And the system complicates everything."
"What about Kaidin?" someone asked.
Vesh's gaze darkened.
"If Kaidin senses imperial resonance," he said slowly, "he will not wait for confirmation."
Silence fell.
"We must accelerate," Vesh continued. "But carefully. Rael must choose to open the legacy."
"And if he doesn't?"
Vesh closed his eyes briefly.
"Then the realm will decide for us."
At the orphanage, Lily sat beside a sleeping child, watching Rael through the doorway.
"You scared me today," she said softly.
"I scared myself," Rael admitted.
She studied him.
"You weren't weak," Lily said. "You were willing to lose everything."
Rael looked away.
"That shouldn't be admirable," he said.
She smiled faintly.
"It is when everyone else is trying to take everything from you."
Rael exhaled.
Outside, thunder rumbled in the distance.
Not a storm.
A warning.