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In the middle of the throne room, Changing Star stood beside Effie between the two groups, looking at the white throne. Her ivory face was cold and indifferent, and her silver hair glinted in the rays of sunshine that fell through tall windows. Sparks of light were dancing in the depths of her calm grey eyes.
She was the focal point of everyone's attention and the target of the dark storm of emotions that raged between the ancient walls of the Castle today.
If it bothered her, she did not show it.
And then, finally, the Bright Lord himself appeared.
Sunny knew that Gunalug entered the great hall even before seeing him. He knew it because of the sudden change in the people that surrounded him. It was as though a wave of invisible pressure had crashed into the crowd, forcing them to groan and bend, almost buckling to the ground. Their legs trembled, their faces paled, and drops of sweat appeared on their skin, as did fear and panic in their eyes.
The mastermind behind this ghoulish spectacle had finally arrived.
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The golden demon declared his judgment: the death of Effie.
In the hall, shouts and screams resonated, declaring the woman guilty, or instead, defending her life.
Unaffected by this outburst of boiling emotions, Nephis put a hand on Effie's shoulder and looked at the Bright Lord with a cold expression. Staring directly at the golden mask, she frowned and said, her voice clear and loud:
"I object."
The storm of voices suddenly grew quiet. Everyone turned to her, two kinds of expectation hiding in their eyes.
One was full of hope. The other was full of vicious glee.
Gunlaug tilted his head.
"Object? What do you mean? Her guilt has been proven without any room left for doubt. There is nothing you can do to change the outcome."
He paused for a moment and then suddenly leaned forward, his insidious voice washing over the great hall like a wave:
"Well, unless, of course…"
Changing Star looked at him with dark resolve and lowered her chin stubbornly.
Then, she said:
"I want to invoke the right of challenge."
Gunlaug watched her, his expression hidden. Neph's pale face was reflected in his mask, staring back at her with merciless gray eyes. After a while, he spoke:
"Sound logic. Who are you going to challenge, then?"
She hesitated for a few moments, then said steadily:
"Whoever it was that passed the guilty verdict."
The Bright Lord chuckled.
"Oh? But by the same logic... that would be me."
She smiled darkly and glared at him, white flames dancing in her eyes.
"Then you are the one I challenge!"
Her words resounded in the great hall, sending hundreds of people gathered there into a state of stunned silence.
In the silence that enveloped the great hall, the Bright Lord laughed and tilted his head, staring at Changing Star from behind his golden mask. Then, he said:
"How audacious! I wonder what gives you the confidence to dare challenge me. Various people have tried to kill me, you know. I have a little hobby, actually—collecting their skulls. Come to think of it, your pretty head would look really good in my collection."
Nephis had a calm look.
''My confidence comes from my strength.''
Gunlaug stared at her for a moment and then chuckled.
"Great! This is great! Such spirit! I will really enjoy breaking you, Changing Star. When this is done."
He flexed his shoulders and said, his voice sending shivers into the hearts of hundreds of people gathered in the hall:
"Alright. I accept your challenge."
He slowly walked down the stairs of the ivory throne, each step resonating in the vast hall. Sunny couldn't help but be scared for the young woman.
'If she had the Dawn Shard, maybe she would have a chance... What is Lysander doing?'
The two fighters closed the distance between them. Nephis summoned a white sword. Gunlaug didn't summon anything; he just willed his golden armor to form a great axe.
'Dammit.'
The weapon the Bright Lord was going to use was also a part of his Echo, and as such, possessed the quality of a Transcended weapon. It was going to cut through the Starlight Legion Armor without much effort.
'This is even worse than I imagined.'
As Sunny gritted his teeth, Gunlaug said in a serpentine, insidious voice:
"Any last words, Changing Star?"
Nephis tilted her head a little and remained silent for a while. Her helmet was woven from strings of light, hiding her face completely, with only calm grey eyes visible through the crack of the visor. Finally, she answered with only one word, her usually even voice full of furious contempt:
"Traitor."
A wave of whispers spread through the crowd. People were guessing what exactly she meant by that, but Sunny suspected that he was the only one who knew.
Neph wasn't accusing Gunlaug of betraying his fellow humans or causing the deaths of numerous young men and women. She was accusing him of betraying the true duty of the Awakened and submitting to the Nightmare Spell instead of fighting it to the bitter end.
In her mind, that was a far greater crime.
The only crime, even.
The Bright Lord laughed.
"That's too bad. I heard that one before."
Then—
The massive doors of the throne room screeched open.
The sound echoed like thunder.
Everyone turned.
Who would dare interrupt this duel?
A lone cloaked figure stepped into the hall.
The crowd instinctively parted, forming a path toward the center.
One of Gunlaug's guards approached the stranger, spear raised.
"You dare interrupt—"
The sentence was never finished.
A dark greatsword slashed.
The guard was cleaved cleanly in half.
Blood splattered across the marble floor.
The cloak fell, revealing a tall young man.
Golden hair.
Golden eyes that seemed to shine with divine light.
White armor gleamed faintly in the sunlight seeping through the window.
In his hand rested a greatsword made of black bone.
Blood dripped slowly from its edge.
Sunny's eyes widened.
'Lysander!'
The First Bright Lord walked calmly toward the center of the hall.
No one dared to stop him.
Gunlaug tilted his head slightly.
"Who are you?"
Lysander did not answer.
Instead, he walked past him.
Straight toward Nephis.
She watched him silently, as if she had expected this moment all along.
Lysander stopped in front of her, then removed the mundane crown resting on his head.
The Dawn Shard.
"I have come to give you this," he said calmly. "For I believe you should wear it in your endeavor."
He placed the crown in Nephis' hands.
Shock exploded through the hall.
Gunlaug's voice rose sharply.
"You—! How do you possess a Memory of the First Bright Lord?!"
Lysander slowly turned.
His golden gaze swept across the crowd, finally settling on Gunlaug.
His voice was cold as the dark sea.
"My name is Lysander."
Silence fell across the hall.
"Many of you may not know that name."
He paused.
"So let me remind you who I am."
His golden eyes burned like twin suns.
"I am one of the seven Sleepers who first set foot upon this cursed land."
"I am the First Lord of Bright Castle."
"I am the Bright Conqueror."
"I am the leader of the legendary cohort who built the haven that all of you now inhabit."
His voice echoed calmly across the hall.
"And I am here to support the right of Changing Star."
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I mix part of the original chapters with the addition of the changes that Lysander bring. Just 4 chapters, and then, Lysander's POV.