The royal summons came at dawn.
Carried by hawk, sealed in gold, stamped with the Crown's sigil and the Emperor's personal mark — the Dragon Throne had noticed.
> [System Notice – Main Quest Triggered: "The Lion's Court"]
Objective: Attend Royal Council Session in Capitol Solenne
Optional Objective: Uncover Hidden Cult Presence Within the Capital
Rewards: Unknown
Warning: Political Terrain – Hostile and Obscured
Uther read it in silence, then passed the scroll to Elena and Mara.
"The timing's too precise," Mara muttered. "They didn't just notice your moves. They're trying to contain them."
"Maybe," Uther said, strapping his cloak. "Or maybe the cracks we made in Velmire's mask were deep enough that even the Crown couldn't look away."
Thalen approached with a wrapped object — the Eye of the First Accord.
"Take this," he said. "You'll need more than truth. You'll need memory."
---
Arrival in Solenne – The Throne's Shadow
Capitol Solenne was a city of contradictions — gold-leafed towers and alleys that stank of blood and incense. Uther's arrival caused a quiet stir. No parade, no horns — just a lone contingent of Royal Sentinels escorting him past the merchant gates.
People whispered. Some bowed. Others turned their eyes away, uncertain whether to fear or hope.
> [System Update: Fame Threshold Passed – "The Warden of the Edge"]
Effect: +10 Persuasion with Independent Nobles | -15 with Loyalist Factions
The palace itself was a masterpiece of order and intimidation — marble staircases that stretched toward glass domes, halls guarded not by men, but enchantments. The air shimmered faintly. Even words seemed to echo longer here.
Elena leaned close as they were led to the guest wing. "The wards are older than the current dynasty. Layers within layers. If the Cult has touched anything in this palace… it's buried deep."
"Then we start digging," Uther murmured.
---
Day One – The Outer Circle
The Royal Council didn't meet immediately.
Instead, nobles from minor houses and neutral factions approached in ones and twos — subtle gestures, private greetings, soft inquiries.
A Countess of Vire offered quiet support. "Your dossier disrupted more than Velmire's holdings. You have allies. Careful ones."
A Lord of the Tarsen Highlands slipped him a folded report under the guise of a toast. It contained cult migration patterns. Gaps in royal patrols.
Even a scholar from the Circle of Flame bowed, eyes wary. "The Core's activation echoes in the ley lines. The land listens to you now. But the old blood fears change."
> [System Choice – Court Role Alignment]
Choose Approach:
– Challenger: Publicly demand justice, force factions to take sides
– Whisperer: Quietly investigate and gather influence behind closed doors
Uther selected: Whisperer.
> [New Sub-Quest Activated – "Unmask the Ember Root"]
Goal: Identify Cult's foothold within the Royal Court
Bonus Objective: Discover source of Cult's royal protection
---
Day Two – Echoes Behind Silk
The palace library was as vast as a small city. Elena vanished among records of lost bloodlines while Thalen decrypted security glyphs hidden in art and architecture.
Mara prowled the servants' halls, following rumors of shadow meetings and altered memories.
Uther walked the edge of influence.
He played the role — calm, composed, regal. But his real work was in passing glances, shared words, memory fragments left behind by a broken system.
That night, Elena returned pale.
"I found them."
She unrolled a faded ledger — a list of minor noble donations to public works.
"Here — House Aerwin, Lady Vire, House Velmire... but look at the seals. They're bonded by something called the Ember Root Circle. It's not in any official archive."
Thalen's eyes widened. "That's old. Pre-Concord. Arcane order from the Mage Wars era. Thought extinct."
"Or repurposed," Uther said coldly.
He tapped the ledger. "They fund royal advisors, palace renovations, even security wards. They're inside the throne."
---
Day Three – The Cloaked Councilor
On the third day, Uther was summoned to a private audience with High Chancellor Elroin — the Emperor's mouthpiece.
They met in the Mirror Chamber — a long, lightless hall lined with polished obsidian slabs.
"Baron Uther," Elroin greeted, voice smooth and deep. "You've become quite the ripple."
Uther gave a shallow bow. "Sometimes ripples warn of deeper tides."
Elroin smiled faintly. "The Emperor values strength. But also discretion. The Velmire dossier has forced movements… unpleasant ones. You've stirred ghosts we buried for a reason."
Uther's hand rested on the scroll case at his belt — not for weapons, but for memory.
"Buried things have roots. And some of them still bleed."
Elroin's eyes sharpened. "Do you truly believe the throne is unaware of the Ember Root?"
Silence stretched between them.
Uther didn't blink. "I think some part of it is still part of it."
Elroin didn't deny it.
But he did change his tone. "Then you should know… not all in this court are loyal to the light. But not all loyal to the dark are beyond redemption."
> [System Choice – Trust Offer: Accept Elroin's Cooperation?]
[Yes – Gain temporary access to high-level archives, monitored]
[No – Operate without permission, risk exposure]
Uther selected: Yes, with hidden safeguards.
> [System Bonus – Access Granted: Imperial Echo Archives (Limited)]
Passive Unlocked: Courtwatch – Alerts when Cult-linked agents are near
---
Nightfall – A Secret Within the Walls
Later that night, a messenger — masked but bearing royal sigils — arrived at Uther's door.
"The High Chancellor sends you this," they whispered, handing over a black key.
The messenger vanished before Uther could speak.
The key fit no known lock. But when brought near the base of the eastern garden's forgotten tower, the stone itself shifted.
Within lay a chamber untouched by time — stone carvings of the original founders, Core fragments suspended in crystalline glass, and a floating name:
Aelren Velmire.
> [System Discovery – "Seed of the Ember Root"]
This was not just a Cult hideout. It was a birthplace.
Elena's voice cracked. "He was one of the original Core explorers. Before the first Cult… before the Accord."
Thalen touched the largest shard. "The Cult didn't just infiltrate the system. They helped create it."
Uther looked into the crystal.
Reflections showed cities burning, hands in prayer, the rise of Houses — all tied to the Root.
"It was never about belief," he said. "It was always about control."
---
Closing – Court on the Edge
As dawn rose over the capital, banners fluttered in warning winds.
The Royal Council would meet at last.
But Uther no longer came as a rogue baron.
He came as a man who had seen the Root of the rot — and now knew where to strike next.
And in the garden shadows, a silver-eyed spy whispered into her mirror:
> "He's found it."
"Then we begin the culling."
"Let the Warden bleed."