[PAST]
War cries echo through the inner corridor as Rue Yim turns toward the approaching footsteps. Guards sprint into the ritual hall, breathless and pale, clutching blood-stained spears. They freeze the instant they see the carnage—the collapsed altar, the two dead bodies, the king writhing on the ground, and beside him, the girl who should be Princess Niwa… now wearing the face of a monster Rue Yim knows too well.
Saya does not bother hiding herself anymore.
She stands barefoot on the blood-slick floor, veil discarded, hair loose and shadowed by an aura that pulses like a living storm. The black veins twisting up the king's throat glow faintly in her presence, reacting to her like hounds to their master.
Some guards collapse to their knees in terror; others vomit. A few make the sign of protection against evil—but the charm burns black the moment they raise it.
Saya claps, delighted.
"Oh, they recognize me! How adorable."
