Queen Maravelle's lips pressed into a thin line. For a moment, her expression was unreadable, then she rose slowly.
"You mistake caution for arrogance, Seer," she said coldly, though her voice remained composed. "And prophecy for command. This is my court, and my kingdom. I do not bow to ghosts or riddles spun in shadow."
She stood facing Ninzu fully now.
"I see a world that bends too easily to fear... and to whispers. Speak your truths, Ninzu, but tread carefully. For if you mean to stir panic with tales of lost empires, then you, too, may become part of the story… left in the ash."
Ninzu did not flinch. She simply tilted her head, violet eyes gleaming with something colder than contempt, pity.
"I do not stir panic, Your highness," she said softly, yet every word struck like a blade. "I merely say what I have been showed."
She took a single step forward, and though she did not challenge the queen's position, the chamber seemed to lean toward her, as though listening.
"Fear is not your enemy, my Queen. Complacency is." She added. Then, her gaze flicked to the burned cloth once more. "And when the flames come again, they will not ask whether you believed in fairy tales."
A silence followed, tense and taut.
For a moment, no one moved. The weight of Ninzu's words lingered in the air like smoke.
Kael's voice was tight. "How come this is not in the history books."
Ninzu turned slowly. "Lycans altered the truth. But I saw it. Now someone is trying to open it again. But they don't have the key. Not yet."
"Then we stop them," said Thornak.
"You can't," Ninzu said quietly and with finality. "Not yet."
Thornak's eyes narrowed. "Why not?"
"Because the one behind this, the sorcerer, is too powerful. His strength isn't his own. He draws from something ancient, buried deep beneath the world's skin. A well of corrupted magic sealed during the old wars. The same source he offered to the traitor prince."
She stepped closer to the flame in the center of the chamber, its light dancing over her.
"Only the Moonguard can be able to resist that power. Only their bond with the Vault, the Moonfire Core, could counter it. Without them, he cannot be stopped. Not truly."
A hush fell over the council, the weight of her words settling in.
Alpha Harkan rubbed a hand over his jaw. "We've all heard the old stories. Maybe we didn't believe them before. But they're not just tales anymore."
Lord Edrion stood slowly. "If this is blood magic tied to the Moonguard… then it means someone has crossed a line we thought sealed forever."
A few council members exchanged wary glances. Others looked to Queen Maravelle, waiting for her reaction.
She remained still, chin high, though her fingers curled slightly around the edge of her armrest.
Kael spoke next, quieter than the others but no less firm. "If even half of what she says is true… we can't afford to ignore it."
If they find the heir before you find her," she warned, her voice barely more than breath, Her gaze lingering on Queen Maravelle, "they'll use her to finish what was started. And this time, nothing will remain."
"What heir?" The Queen asked.
"The heir of the Moonguard," Ninzu said simply. "She lives."
Gasps filled the chamber.
"Fairy tales," the queen scoffed.
"I do not lie," Ninzu replied, her voice calm but firm.
A wave of murmurs swept through the room.
"Remarkable."
"I can hardly believe it."
"By the stars..."
Ambassador Thane, finally crossed his arms and grunted, "Then we find the heir. And we find them now."
"I need fifteen days," Ninzu said finally. "To perform the ritual needed to trace the royal bloodline. It's buried deep masked by divine magic. If I fail… the sorcerer will find her first."
Thornak's voice was calm but commanding. "You have your fifteen days and all the help you need. No interference."
No one dared argue.
"And if we find this descendant?" asked Alpha Harkan. "Then what?"
"We protect them." Ninzu replied. "For if this person is the key... they may be the only one who can stop what's coming."
The council sat in uneasy silence, the air thick with questions none dared yet ask aloud.
After the meeting, Lord Edrion approached Thornak while he was speaking with Kael.
"Let me be clear," he started. "Do you truly believe a child of that ruined line still lives? After all these years?"
Thornak didn't flinch. "I believe what Ninzu says. She's never been wrong."
Edrion's lips curled. "And if this so-called heir is nothing more than a frightened girl in a village somewhere? Or worse, a danger?"
Kael, leaning against a pillar, crossed his arms. "You mean a danger to your plans?"
Edrion turned sharply. "I mean a danger to the realm. We don't rule by myth. We rule with strategy. If this heir is unstable, or manipulated..."
Thornak cut in, voice low. "If she exists, she carries the blood of kings. And that matters."
Edrion shook his head. "Blood does not make a ruler, Thornak. Strength does. Clarity. A queen must have command, not just lineage."
Kael smirked. "You sound nervous, uncle."
Edrion's eyes narrowed. "I sound realistic. You'd do well to remember our enemies won't pause for prophecy."
Thornak stepped closer to the table. "And if we ignore this, we may be handing them the key to destroy us. I won't take that risk."
Edrion studied him. "So you'll chase ghosts?"
Kael replied before Thornak could. "No. We'll find the one the ghosts have been hiding."
Queen Maravelle, who had lingered near the door, turned sharply at his words. "Ghosts don't raise heirs. Lies and legends do. Be careful how much faith you place in stories, Kael."
"Sometimes stories are all that's left of the truth, mother."
Maravelle's eyes narrowed. "And sometimes they lead kingdoms to ruin."
Thornak stepped forward then, his tone final. "We follow the truth, no matter where it leads. And if there is an heir, we will find her."
Maravelle's lips curved into something between a sneer and a smile. "Just make sure this ghost doesn't bring the ruin of us all."