The Elder Crimson Shroud did not hesitate for long.
His vast eye, ringed in ancient crimson and blackened wisdom, narrowed only once before he inclined his great mass in a nod toward the man crowned in white.
"So be it."
A ripple of power spread across the shattered star, invisible to all but those who understood the language of lineage. It was a gesture. An accord.
King Edmond's smile widened.
"Good," he said softly, stepping forward with the grace of a sovereign who had never known the weight of denial. "Then let this be the close of our negotiations. The pact is sealed, Elder."
He paused, eyes aglow with clever light.
"You've just struck a deal with one of the Five Kings of the Virgo Stellar Expanse. Together," he added with a glint in his voice, "we shall ascend, hand in hand, into the plane your kind have chased through whispers and glory for so long."
He walked slowly now, robes flowing behind him, the folds laced with constellations still forming.
