Maris slept for three days.
During that time, the palace buzzed with conflicting energies: awe, fear, uncertainty.
> A Nullborn had not only been defeated—
She had been reclaimed.
The priestesses whispered.
The Council watched.
And far beneath the throne, the System trembled.
When Maris finally opened her eyes, the room was dark except for a single flame hovering beside her.
She reached for it instinctively.
It hovered into her palm.
And it didn't burn.
"I don't feel the commands anymore," she whispered. "I don't hear the voices. Just mine."
Ryon knelt beside her.
"You've always been in there. They just buried you."
Her voice cracked. "They called me 'the Forgotten Queen.' Said I was meant to rule after the first Sovereign failed."
Ryon frowned. "Failed?"
Maris nodded slowly.
> "There was one before you. Before me. A Sovereign who united too many threads… and turned on the System."
> "They erased her from the histories. But her code… is still alive."
