72 hours Later.
The sun didn't just shine on the Palace of the Ever-Light, it seemed to be held hostage by it.
Kai stood at the base of the final approach, his neck craning back until his spine complained. The spires of the palace reached up like jagged, bleached bones, so high they pierced the cloud line. The midday sun caught the crystalline tips, refracting light into a blinding, white-hot glare that forced Kai to shield his eyes with a trembling hand.
He looked like a man trying to stare at a god.
Beside him, Elara stood in a dress of muted, charcoal-grey linen. It was a servant's cut—high-collared and practical—yet on her, it looked like a tactical uniform. The fabric was rough, a reminder of the district she came from, but she wore it with a straight-backed elegance that made the simplicity feel like a threat.
Contrastingly, Kai looked like he had been dragged through a hedge and then insulted by a tailor. He had refused the formal robes Elara found him, opting instead for a loose, wrinkled tunic of faded plum and his scuffed, mud-stained traveling trousers. It was a "casual" look that, in this hall of pristine gold, felt like a deliberate slap in the face to every noble within five miles.
"You look like a hungover poet," Elara muttered, her eyes fixed on the massive gates ahead.
"And you look like you're ready to shiv a Duke," Kai retorted, his voice hitching. "We're a matched set."
As they stepped onto the first of the final stairs, Kai's mind drifted back to the quiet before the storm.
Flashback: 24 Hours Ago
The Rust District was silent, save for the distant sound of smiths hammering out scrap metal. Kai sat on a splintering wooden bench, staring at nothing. Beside him, Mia was swinging her legs, her small feet barely reaching the edge of the seat.
"My life is so pitiful, isn't it, Mia?" Kai sighed. He wasn't looking for an answer, just venting to the only person who didn't want to kill him.
"I just want to grow up," Mia said, her voice small but firm. "I want to do everything I always want to do. Like eating a whole cake. And wearing shoes that don't have holes."
Kai looked at her. "Come to think of it, don't you have any other friends your age to play with?"
"They're all taking a nap," Mia replied, looking down at her wooden horse. "Even Stephen and mommy. Everyone is very tired lately."
"Stephen? Is that your brother?" Kai asked out of curiosity.
"Stephen is my new daddy baron, or that's what mommy said" the little girl said looking to him at first then lowering her head again in uncertainty.
Kai went numb. "Why don't you also take a nap? I've heard it's good for children."
"My parents always lock the door when they take a nap," Mia said, her face crumpling into a expression of such pure, heartbreaking sorrow it made Kai's chest ache. Her lower lip trembled, and her eyes filled with a hollow longing that made you want to reach out and squeeze her cheeks just to remind her she was still there, still real, still loved. "So I can't nap with them during the afternoon. I have to wait out here."
Kai opened his mouth to say something—anything—but a shadow fell over them.
"Oi, Vane!"
Elara was storming toward them, her boots thudding against the dirt with a lethal cadence. Kai instinctively stood up, his hands going to his pockets in a jittery, awkward motion to keep the 'Joker' act alive.
"I'm coming to the palace with you," Elara stated. It wasn't a request.
"I don't recall the Prince inviting the whole district," Kai said, his voice soft, trying to navigate the minefield of her temper. "Just me. It's a solo execution, hopefully."
"Technically, he summoned the entire Vane family," Elara countered. "I'll just say I'm your sister."
"Arthur would recognize my 'sister' in a heartbeat, Elara. The Vanes were royals once. Everyone knows they don't have red-headed firebrands for siblings. If you go, you're my servant."
"No way," Elara hissed, stepping into his personal space. Her breath smelled of iron and rain. "No way I'm going to be a servant for a twerp who kneels in the mud the moment a Prince looks at him."
Kai pulled his neck back, raising his palms to his shoulders like he was being held at gunpoint. "It's just an act! A performance! If I don't look pathetic, I die!"
"Then you mustn't treat me like one," Elara warned, her eyes flashing. "Under no condition inside that palace do you treat me like a subordinate. Deal?"
"Deal," Kai stammered.
As she turned to leave, Kai couldn't help himself. "Out of curiosity... why do you want to visit the palace so urgently?"
"To get to the Adulation Engine," she said, stopping but not turning around.
"And what does that engine specifically do?"
Elara lowered her head, pressing two fingers to her forehead as she exhaled a long, weary sigh. She turned back, speaking to him with the exaggerated patience one uses for a particularly dim child.
"Alright, in simple terms: I will make the Adulation Engine go BoooM," she gestured with her hands. "Then, FWoosH, I will escape from the center..."
Kai blinked. Is she talking to me like I'm five? Does she really think I'm this much of an idiot?
"...and then the people will be like Hoorrayy!" she finished, her face deadpan.
"Right. Very descriptive," Kai said flatly. "But what does that accomplish, specifically?"
"Isn't it obvious? The Engine collects the negative energy from our suffering and the positive energy from their worship. It feeds the ACA. By cutting the supply, the ACA loses its grip on the Royal Houses. The 'Script' breaks. Everything becomes uniform again. No more 'Chosen Ones,' and no more 'Glitches' like you."
"I see a lot of holes in that plan," Kai warned. "Starting with the BoooM part."
"I wasn't looking for your opinion, Vane. I'm going whether you agree or not." She walked off, her cloak snapping in the wind.
Kai looked down at Mia accepting his utter defeat."Fingers crossed, Mia. Wish me luck tomorrow."
"Alright," the girl whispered. "Good luck, Baron."
Present Day
Kai's lungs were screaming. He had just topped the 340th flight of stairs. His legs felt like they were made of lead and bad decisions.
"What the hell..." Kai wheezed, doubling over and clutching his knees. "How many... flights... are there?"
"The previous King built exactly 347," Elara said, barely out of breath. "He believed that by the time a petitioner reached the top, they would be too tired to argue with him."
"It worked," Kai groaned.
They stood on a massive marble plateau. Ahead of them lay the Courtroom Entrance—a set of doors forty feet high, plated in solid gold and etched with the history of the Solaris line. There were no handles.
Kai stepped forward, bracing his shoulder against the metal. He pushed. The door didn't budge. He pushed again, his face turning purple. Nothing.
"Need help?" Elara asked, a smirk tugging at her lips.
"No!" Kai barked. His pride as a man—or perhaps just his annoyance—flared. He couldn't let her do everything. He whispered under his breath, "Serene... how much energy do I have?"
[ENERGY LEVEL: 0%]
[ESTIMATED TIME FOR HEART TO STOP-8 MIN]
Kai's heart nearly stopped, literally. The climb. The system had been passively draining him just for existing. He was a dry battery.
He looked at Elara. He needed a spark. Fast.
"You know," Kai gasped, leaning his head against the cool gold of the door. "While you were at the bathhouse in the camp... I took a peek. You have a very... interesting mole on your left—"
"How dare you" SLAP!
The sound echoed off the palace walls. Elara didn't just hit him,she poured every ounce of her Rust District rage into a backhand that sent Kai's head spinning.
[SPITE MULTIPLIER: x5.0]
[CRITICAL IMPACT DETECTED: ENERGY +20%]
"You disgusting, low-life—"
"Strong as Ever" kai mumbled to himself.He didn't wait for the second strike. He channeled 10% into his arms and slammed his palms against the gate.
The excessive force sent the massive doors swinging inward with a violent crash. Kai, unable to stop his momentum, stumbled forward, his boots skidding on the polished floor as he face-planted directly into the floor of the Courtroom.
The silence that followed was heavy enough to crush bone.
Kai looked up from the floor. The room was a vertical cathedral of power. High above, seated in thrones attached to the very walls, were the Four Houses.
In the center, House Solaris. Prince Arthur sat in gold plate that seemed to hum with light, while beside him, Princess Seraphine was a vision of lethal beauty. She wore a gown of deep blue silk that flowed like a river, her lips painted a sharp, cherry red that contrasted with her pale, perfect skin. She looked down at Kai not with anger, but with the curiosity of a scientist looking at a strange new insect.
To the left, House Umbra. Archivist Malakor sat motionless, wrapped in translucent grey silks. A blindfold covered his eyes, but his head tilted toward Kai, his ears twitching as if he were reading the vibrations of Kai's very soul.
To the right, House Thalassa. Lady Vespera leaned back in a gown of "Red Ruby" scales that rippled like liquid fire. she held a crystal glass of amber liquid, swirling it lazily while her iridescent eyes tracked Kai's movements with predatory greed.
And below them, in the shadow, sat House Mortis. High Inquisitor Valerius in his matte-black armor. He didn't move. He didn't speak. He simply watched through the heavy iron collar around his neck, the embodiment of a silent, impending judgment.
Kai scrambled to his feet, dusting off his plum tunic and offering a shaky, crooked grin. "Sorry! The door was... tough!"
He began to walk forward, adding a slight, rhythmic limp to his stride—the walk of a man who was clearly out of his depth.
Arthur stood up, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "I summoned the Vane family, Baron. Yet I see only one man and perhaps a.. commoner." He gestured toward Elara, his eyes narrowing. "I do not recognize this woman as your sister, Vane. Who is she?"
"Oh, her?" Kai waved a hand dismissively. "She's just... my servant. She carries my luggage. Very strong back, but terrible personality,dare I say"
[ENERGY +2% FROM ELARA'S DEATH GLARE]
Arthur's face darkened. "It matters not. You are here to answer for the sins of your bloodline. The list is long, Vane. Murder, illegal tax collecting and crimes against the Narrative itself."
The Prince stepped to the edge of the dais, looking down at Kai with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "The world has moved past the need for leeches. Today, we won't just judge you, Vane. We will delete your history."
Kai looked at the Four Houses, then at the silent crowd of citizens in the lower pews. He felt it—a massive, surging wave of collective spite and anticipation hitting him from all sides.
[CURRENT ENERGY: 40% AND RISING FAST]
"Delete my history?" Kai whispered, his voice gaining a sudden, sharp edge. "That sounds expensive. I hope your prepared to spend a little"