The Ascension Festival transformed the capital into something almost unreal.
Golden banners draped from every tower. Mana lanterns floated midair in layered constellations. Streets overflowed with performers, merchants, visiting nobles from outer provinces.
And at the center of it all—
The Imperial Plaza.
A vast open square before the palace where the founding oath would be renewed at sunset.
Arthur stood on the high balcony overlooking the crowd.
Tens of thousands.
Cheering.
Laughing.
Unaware.
Behind him, Seraphina monitored mana flow readings projected in faint light above a crystal array.
"Elowen's reports confirmed," she said quietly. "Fatigue cases spiking near eastern corridor."
Darius adjusted his gauntlets.
"Northern supply rerouted. But not enough to alert Eastfall."
Emily stood beside Arthur, calm despite the tension.
"My father increased northern output by eight percent."
Arthur nodded.
"Good."
The crack in his chest pulsed faintly.
The city's mana density was already rising.
Not visibly.
But he could feel it.
Like atmospheric pressure before a storm.
—
In the eastern underground chamber—
The crimson-cloaked figure stood before a massive array now fully assembled.
Mana crystals glowed intensely.
Leylines converged.
"Synchronization window approaching," a subordinate whispered.
"And the Crown Prince?" another asked.
The figure's masked gaze turned toward a projection of Arthur on the balcony.
"He stands exactly where required."
—
Back in the plaza—
The Emperor stepped forward to begin the founding oath.
The crowd fell silent.
Mana lanterns brightened.
The palace core activated fully.
Arthur felt it instantly.
The crack flared sharply.
Pain lanced through his chest.
Subtle at first.
Then sharper.
Seraphina's voice was steady but urgent.
"Resonance spike beneath eastern quadrant."
Darius gritted his teeth.
"They're activating."
Arthur didn't move.
Not yet.
He scanned the crowd.
And saw—
Princess Isolde.
Sixteen.
Innocent.
Standing too close to the plaza's central mana pillar.
The pillar was decorative during normal times.
But during the festival—
It channeled amplified mana from the palace core into public displays.
If destabilized—
It would discharge outward.
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
The ground beneath the plaza trembled faintly.
Invisible to most.
But not to him.
Seraphina inhaled sharply.
"They're using the central pillar as amplifier."
Arthur understood instantly.
The foundation array wasn't the only synchronization point.
They had embedded a secondary trigger beneath the plaza.
If his core reacted violently—
The pillar would convert that instability into a city-wide shockwave.
Non-lethal.
But devastating to reputation.
And Isolde was directly within the discharge radius.
Arthur stepped forward—
But at that exact moment—
The pillar flared.
Golden light turned unstable.
The crack in his chest roared.
Pain surged violently.
And then—
Darius moved.
Without waiting.
He leapt from the balcony, aura blazing, landing beside Isolde and pulling her back.
The crowd gasped.
Mana surged violently outward.
Arthur saw it.
Darius was about to reinforce the pillar directly.
Raw output.
Explosive.
Exactly what the enemy wanted.
"Darius, no—"
Too late.
Darius drove his aura into the base of the pillar to suppress it.
The array beneath responded instantly.
The mirror sigils latched onto his mana signature.
Not Arthur's.
Darius's.
The discharge pattern shifted.
Arthur's eyes widened.
They hadn't accounted for Darius's intervention.
The destabilization twisted.
Unpredictable.
The pillar cracked violently.
A surge blasted upward toward the sky—
Then ricocheted sideways.
Directly toward the crowded eastern stands.
Arthur moved.
Not calculating.
Not withholding.
He released.
Golden mana erupted from him — but this time, not wide-scale.
Focused.
Compressed into a single stabilizing arc.
He intercepted the discharge midair.
The crack in his chest split further.
Pain exploded through his body.
He felt something inside him fracture deeper.
But he held.
Redirected.
Forced the surge upward into the sky.
A blinding column of gold pierced the clouds.
Silence fell across the plaza.
Then—
The sky exploded into radiant golden fireworks.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
They thought it was planned.
A dramatic enhancement to the ceremony.
No one saw the crack in the pillar's base.
No one saw the faint tremor beneath the stone.
Arthur landed heavily beside Darius and Isolde.
Isolde clung to Darius, shaken but unharmed.
Darius looked up at Arthur.
"…I messed up."
Arthur's breathing was uneven.
Blood trickled faintly from his lip again.
"Yes," he said calmly.
Darius's jaw tightened.
"I didn't think—"
"No," Arthur interrupted softly. "You reacted."
Darius stared at him.
Arthur extended a hand and pulled him up.
"You protected her."
Isolde whispered shakily,
"I'm sorry, Brother…"
Arthur placed a hand gently on her head.
"You did nothing wrong."
Above them, the Emperor continued the oath smoothly.
Unshaken.
Seraphina appeared seconds later.
Her composure flawless.
"The eastern array destabilized prematurely," she whispered. "They did not anticipate Darius."
Arthur nodded.
"They will adjust."
Emily rushed forward quietly, eyes scanning Arthur's face.
"You're pale."
"I am fine."
She didn't argue.
But her gaze lingered on his chest.
She felt it.
The crack had widened significantly.
He could feel instability rippling through his mana flow.
For the first time—
It wasn't subtle.
It was approaching dangerous territory.
—
Deep underground—
The crimson-cloaked figure studied the distorted feedback readings.
"Unexpected interference detected."
"Secondary signature: Prince Darius."
The figure was silent for several seconds.
Then—
"Interesting."
A pause.
"The fracture deepened."
"Yes."
"And synchronization?"
"Partially achieved."
The figure's voice lowered.
"Good."
Phase Three had not fully succeeded.
But it had moved the threshold closer.
—
Back in the palace chambers later that night—
Darius stood stiffly before Arthur.
"I endangered everyone."
Arthur sat calmly, though exhaustion pressed heavily against him.
"You saved Isolde."
"I destabilized the array."
Arthur looked at him steadily.
"And learned."
Darius clenched his fists.
"I acted without thinking."
"Yes."
Silence.
Arthur continued.
"That is strength and weakness."
Darius looked up.
Arthur's voice was firm.
"Next time, think."
Darius nodded slowly.
"…I will."
After he left—
Emily remained.
She stepped closer and placed her hand against Arthur's chest again.
The crack pulsed violently beneath her palm.
"You pushed too far," she said quietly.
Arthur didn't deny it.
"It was necessary."
She looked up at him.
"No."
Her voice was steady.
"You chose it."
He met her gaze.
"Yes."
Outside, the festival fireworks continued in celebration.
Inside—
The storm was not over.
Arthur walked to the window slowly.
The city cheered his brilliance.
They had no idea how close they had come.
He touched his chest lightly.
The fracture burned like molten glass.
For the first time—
He felt the edge.
If pushed one more time at that level—
He might lose control.
The enemy now knew.
And he knew something else too.
They were no longer just testing.
They were accelerating.
Arthur's golden eyes reflected the glowing skyline.
"You nearly forced my hand."
His expression hardened.
"Now I will force yours."