The sky over Delmathia had turned copper at dusk—an omen. The color of fading loyalty. Of decisions that cut deeper than blades.
Ashara stood at her window, the Heart of Echoes warm against her chest beneath layers of ceremonial silk. Her reflection in the glass showed not a ruler—but a blade being sharpened by fate itself.
Behind her, a faint bell chimed.
System Alert:
✦ New Divine Threshold Reached
— Choice Trigger: Faction Split Detected
Multiple divine interests have aligned with your fate thread.
➤ You must choose an allegiance path to stabilize System progression.
She read the options as they unfolded in golden runes:
Divine Faction Choice:
The Rooted Flame – Path of Memory, Preservation, and Rebirth.
Bonus: Enhanced control over Echo Dive and loyalty restoration.
Cost: You may never resurrect the fallen.
The Withering Sun – Path of Fire, Judgment, and Absolute Rule.
Bonus: Greatly increased Authority and Court Domination Skills.
Cost: Kills all alternate romantic paths except one.
The Shifting Sea – Path of Secrets, Masks, and Free Will.
Bonus: Unlocks manipulation of fate forks.
Cost: Loyalty decay speeds up twice as fast if not managed.
She didn't choose. Not yet.
Instead, she turned as her chamber door opened without ceremony.
Kallad leaned against the frame, half-shadowed, hair damp from a recent storm-ride, the scent of wet leather and steel still clinging to him.
"You've been avoiding me," he said.
"You've been watching me too closely."
He stepped in. Closed the door behind him.
There was something unreadable in his gaze now—something that made her heart pause.
"You knew who Caelum was, the moment you saw him, didn't you?" he said. "He's not a prince."
"No," Ashara replied calmly. "He's bait."
Kallad narrowed his eyes.
She stepped toward him, voice low.
"Someone sent him to test me. Or tempt me. Possibly both. His aura reads like it was scraped from too many gods."
Kallad muttered a curse. "And yet you welcomed him into court."
"I let the spider spin," Ashara replied. "Because I want to see who else crawls into the web."
---------------
Later that evening, the palace held a quiet banquet in honor of Varenthia's "alliance delegation."
It was more theatre than hospitality—thinly veiled poison and polite backstabbing served with gold-gilded cutlery.
Ashara arrived fashionably late, clad in obsidian silk, the Heart of Echoes hidden but radiant beneath her ribs. The moment she stepped into the hall, all eyes turned.
Prince Caelum smiled too widely.
"So the dark crown returns to the table."
Ashara raised a glass to him. "And here I thought Varenthian diplomacy was subtler."
He leaned closer, voice a purr. "Oh, but it is. You're just... unusually fun to provoke."
System Alert:
✦ Fate Fork Triggered
— [Interact Intimately with Caelum]
— [Expose Him Publicly]
— [Let Him Believe He's Winning]
Ashara selected none. Yet.
Instead, she tilted her head and asked, "What god do you pray to, Your Highness?"
Caelum's smile faltered.
"Whichever one lets me live to see morning," he said. "And doesn't mind me stealing the stars."
---------------
After the banquet, she slipped through the palace's private corridors toward the war chamber.
Ezekiel was already inside, arms crossed, pacing.
"You shouldn't be walking alone tonight," he said.
"I'm not alone," she answered. "The Heart sees more than men do."
She touched the relic beneath her gown, and his jaw tightened.
"You trust it more than you trust me."
She walked past him, laying out a map of the fractured borderlands between her empire and Varenthia.
"I built trust in you. The gods didn't give it to me."
His voice dipped, quiet and raw. "Then tell me what Caelum really wants."
Ashara met his gaze.
"Not me. Not yet. But whoever sent him wants the loyalty system. They want control over fate forks—and they know I have them."
System Update:
✦ Loyalty Level Update: Ezekiel – 85%
Trait Gained: Shield of the Bloodbound
➤ Ezekiel now absorbs first critical blow dealt to Ashara in any divine duel or political assassination attempt.
She turned toward him—closer than before.
"You would die for me again?"
"I already did once," he whispered. "I'd do worse this time."
Their breath mingled in the quiet.
But the moment passed.
She turned away, placing her hand over the relic.
And chose.
Divine Path Chosen: The Shifting Sea
✦ You have chosen the path of Masks and Free Will.
Loyalty Decay increased.
Fate Fork Manipulation unlocked.
System Warning: The gods will not remain silent.