"Open the doors, Kaelen."
The words came out of Mali's mouth. He wasn't sure who said them. They sounded steady, almost cold. A perfect piece of mimicry. He was faking it.
Kaelen heard, and a flicker of approval crossed his scarred face. He nodded to the Scion Guards, who struck the door's activation panel.
The massive, golden doors slid open with a whisper, revealing the Royal Council Chamber.
Mali's first thought was that the room was a weapon.
It was a vast, circular chamber, dark and intimidating. The walls were the same midnight-black, light-drinking stone as his uniform, making the room feel like an infinite, airless void. The only illumination came from a single, massive, round table in the center. It was a solid disc of glowing, golden light, projecting a detailed, slowly rotating holographic map of the Aethel Imperium and its surrounding territories.
Seated around this table, like ancient gods gathered to divide the cosmos, were the council members.
Mali's System flared, helpfully plastering [TITLE] tags over their heads.
[ADMIRAL VORLAG - IMPERIUM FLEET COMMANDER]
[AMBASSADOR VAEL - CYGNUS DELEGATION LEAD] [HIGH INQUISITOR THANE - IMPERIUM INTERNAL SECURITY]
And a dozen other high-ranking, terrifying-looking officials, each one a LEVEL 70 or 80 threat in his System's estimation.
Mali's new boots felt impossibly heavy. He was a LEVEL 1 child who had just wandered into a BOSS RAID. His Imposter Syndrome debuff was a screaming siren in his skull.
He, Anya, and Kaelen walked forward, their boot-falls the only sound in the cavernous room. The golden light from the table cast harsh, dramatic shadows up onto the faces of the council, making them look like a tribunal.
Kaelen took his seat at the head of the table. Anya, in a move of pure political genius, took the seat directly to the right. And Mali, his heart hammering, was forced to take the one seat that was larger, more ornate, and directly opposite Kaelen.
The seat of the Emperor.
He sat. The chair was cold and hard. Every eye was on him.
Kaelen slammed a gauntleted fist onto the table. The holographic map shimmered. "The Heir has returned. House Alkahest is restored. The first order of business—"
"Is the immediate and cataclysmic threat the Heir's retrieval has placed upon this entire fleet."
The voice was like shattered ice. Admiral Vorlag. He wasn't looking at Kaelen; he was staring directly at Mali. His eyes were a cold, pragmatic gray, and his face was all sharp angles and disapproval.
"General," Vorlag continued, "your sentiment is noted. But your 'retrieval' has lit a beacon for every Void-corrupted entity in this quadrant. My fleet is currently running at a 150% energy signature to maintain a 'Sanction' perimeter. We are a lighthouse in the dark, and the monsters are coming."
He leaned forward, his voice dropping. "The Aethel Imperium has been hiding for a generation, rebuilding. You have just, in your heroic zeal, announced our exact location and our greatest weakness to the enemy."
Kaelen's jaw tightened. "The Prince is not a weakness, Admiral. He is our salvation."
"He is an untrained asset," Vorlag countered instantly. "He is an un-detonated bomb, and you have brought him onto my command deck."
The tension in the room was so thick Mali felt he was drowning in it.
"A bomb I am not entirely sure is worth the political cost," Ambassador Vael's sharp voice cut in. She, too, was looking at Mali, her contempt barely veiled. "The CygnUS Ascendancy agreed to this alliance, Admiral, on the promise of a god-king. An Alkahest, in full command of his faculties. A leader to stand with us against the Void."
She gestured at Mali, a flick of her hand that was profoundly insulting. "Instead, we are presented with a silent, traumatized boy in a pretty uniform. My princess," she said, turning to Anya, "may be blinded by... optimism. I am not. This alliance is not ratified. And my government will not pledge our fleets to protect a liability."
This was it. The pincer attack. The military and the political, united in their skepticism. Mali's Imposter Syndrome was a physical pain, a stake through his chest. He could feel his hands shaking under the table. He wanted to run. He wanted to scream.
You are the eye of the storm. Anya's voice in his head.
He kept his face blank. He kept his hands in his lap. He just… sat.
Kaelen, however, was on his feet. "Liability? You dare—"
"I do dare, General!" Vael snapped, rising to meet him. "I speak for the Ascendancy. And we require proof that this... heir... is anything more than a genetic symbol you've dug up from a primitive mud-ball!"
"Proof?" Kaelen's voice was a low, dangerous rumble. He was losing his temper.
"Yes. Proof." Admiral Vorlag said, his cold voice cutting through Kaelen's rage. He turned his full, undivided, analytical gaze back to Mali.
The room went silent. This was it. The confrontation.
"Your Highness," Vorlag said, his tone devoid of all respect. It was the voice of a man addressing a math problem. "Ambassador Vael raises a valid, if... undiplomatic... point. My fleet is at risk. Her alliance is on the line. Your retrieval, as an 'Alkahest,' has initiated a dozen high-risk protocols."
He leaned forward, and the entire council leaned with him.
"You have heard our concerns. What is your assessment of the situation? What do you propose we do about the Void's inevitable response?"
The silence was a black hole.
Mali's blood turned to ice water. His System flashed, a frantic, screaming red.
[DANGER: SOCIAL-BASED CONFRONTATION]
[DEBUFF: IMPOSTER SYNDROME -50 CTL APPLIED]
[PROBABILITY OF SUCCESSFUL RESPONSE: 3.1%]
He was going to fail. He was going to fail them all. He was going to vomit on the glowing table. He was a fraud. A stray. A nothing.
Three. Full. Seconds. Anya's training.
One... He could feel Vael's triumphant, cruel smirk.
Two... He could feel Kaelen's rising, desperate panic.
Three...
He did it. He followed the plan. He slowly, deliberately, turned his head to the right. He looked at General Kaelen, at the man's furious, loyal, terrified eyes.
Then, he turned his head to the left. He looked at Anya.
She was perfect. Calm. Collected. She wasn't holding her breath. She wasn't worried. She was just... watching him, her gaze clear and steady. Her Anya's Favor buff was a tangible warmth. She believed in him. Or, at least, she believed in her plan.
He turned back to the council. He looked directly at Admiral Vorlag.
He opened his mouth, and the voice that came out was quiet, clear, and did not shake.
"I trust the counsel of my General... and my wife."
The silence that followed was a thousand times louder than the silence before.
It was a stunned, disbelieving, absolute void.
Mali watched the faces.
Ambassador Vael's mouth had dropped open. Her face, which had been a mask of triumph, was now a picture of pure, unadulterated fury. He hadn't given her a stupid answer. He hadn't given her a weak answer. He hadn't given her anything to attack. He had simply... parried her, using Kaelen and Anya as his shield.
Admiral Vorlag just... stared. His cold, gray eyes blinked. Once. Twice. The faintest flicker of... something... crossed his face. It wasn't approval. But it was not contempt. It was... calculation. He had been given a logical, pragmatic answer. The "unstable variable" had just delegated to its two primary experts. It was a sound tactical move.
And Kaelen... Kaelen's face was a work of art. The fury was gone. The desperation was gone. His eyes were wide, and a slow, fierce pride was dawning in them. The Prince hadn't tried to be an Emperor. He had been wise.
Anya just smiled. A tiny, private smile, just for him.
Kaelen, seizing the moment, slammed his armored fist on the table. The holographic map flared.
"You have your answer!" he boomed, his voice full of a new, unshakeable authority. "The Prince has placed his confidence in his command structure and his ratified alliance. His first act is one of ultimate trust. We will not fail him."
He pointed at Vorlag. "Admiral, you have your orders. Maintain the perimeter. I want defense protocols at 200%. The Prince is here, and we will hold this position."
He pointed at Vael. "Ambassador. The alliance is ratified. By the Prince and the Princess. Your concerns are noted, and they are dismissed. You will send the signal to your home fleet. The pact is sealed."
The test was over. Mali hadn't just survived. He'd won.
Anya, under the table, where no one could see, reached over and squeezed his hand.
Mali's System chimed, the sound the sweetest he'd ever heard.
[QUEST COMPLETE: SURVIVE THE COUNCIL]
[+1000 XP]
[+500 'REPUTATION' - AETHEL IMPERIUM]
[+100 'REPUTATION' - CYGNUS ASCENDANCY]
[DEBUFF UPDATED: Imposter Syndrome - PENALTY REDUCED. (Social-based action (CTL) at -30 penalty)]
[NEW BUFF GAINED: POLITICAL ACUMEN (PASSIVE) - LVL 1]
> You have successfully navigated a complex political encounter. +5 to all future social-based (CTL) rolls.