[Silthara Palace — Midnight — Emperor's Chamber]
Midnight lay heavy over Silthara Palace.
The desert had fallen silent, and the moon hung high above the golden towers, their pale light spilling through the carved lattice of the emperor's chamber in long silver patterns across the black stone floor.
Inside, the air was thick—not with heat or cold, but with something darker and poisonous.
Zeramet Karash sat near the open window, the long cushions beneath him half-shadowed in moonlight. His form was no longer fully human.
From the waist upward, he remained the emperor of Zahryssar—bare shoulders, long silver hair falling over his back and golden eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.
But below…
His body shifted into the long silver coils of the ancient serpent blood, scales catching the moonlight like polished steel as they rested across the floor and curled around the base of the low table beside him.
