-Alexia-
Gideon's hand remained heavy on my shoulder, a tangible declaration of ownership. I felt the collective scrutiny of The Scions like physical heat—or rather, a draining cold. My light was fighting to remain suppressed, a tiny, silver-gold pilot light against a chamber full of darkness.
"Cassia asks a fair question," Gideon said, his voice echoing in the cavernous room. He spoke as if I weren't standing there, as if I were a new piece of architecture. "The question, my Scions, is not what she is worth, but what she is."
He released me, pushing me forward half a step, forcing me to hold the center stage alone.
"Alexia possesses the purest Light magic seen in centuries," Gideon stated, pacing slightly. "It is ancient, uncorrupted, and potent enough to power the wards of any great city. But it is untamed. It is fueled by reckless emotion, by misguided loyalty, and by a fierce attachment to a decaying world order."
I kept my face impassive. I focused on the faces before me, committing them to memory. There was Cassia, the woman of mist, who wore cruelty like a second skin. Beside her stood a man whose skin was marked with deep, ritualistic scars, his eyes glowing with latent shadow-fire. I cataloged his type of magic—elemental, but twisted.
"Her strength is also her weakness," a voice hissed from the back, dry and reedy, like rust scraping stone. "Loyalty to her mates?" The word was laced with disdain. "That is easily exploited."
"Precisely, Theron," Gideon agreed, nodding toward the speaker—a tall, skeletal man in deep gray robes. "It is the chain that binds her willingness, but not the tool that breaks her power."
I finally spoke, my voice clear and ringing in the silence. "I am not a weapon, Gideon, nor am I a tool. My power is inherent, and you cannot seize it."
Gideon paused his pacing, turning slowly. The move was calculated, designed to make every eye in the room swing to him. He was performing for his audience, consolidating his power by humiliating mine.
"On the contrary," he said, stepping close enough that I could smell the sharp, cold magic clinging to his robes. "The light cannot exist without its source. It is you who fuels it, and it is you I will change."
He lifted a hand, and the dark metal throne behind him began to pulse, absorbing the meager torchlight. The shadows in the room deepened, pressing in on me, making my suppressed light flicker nervously.
"You have seen the chaos, Alexia. You have seen the Council's failure. Your friends came close to death at your own school," Gideon pressed, his voice dropping to a persuasive, almost hypnotic pitch. "I offer order. I offer mastery. I offer the chance to eliminate the weakness that your light has always represented."
My resolve was a mountain. "My light represents hope, Gideon. It represents life. And you are wrong about its source."
Cassia took a step forward, her mist-like form solidifying slightly, like ice forming on water. "Your resistance is foolish, child. Look around you. You stand before the true architects of power. We are The Scions. We govern elements and shadows that you can barely comprehend. Why cling to a handful of boys when you can rule a world?"
"I cling to what is real," I shot back, my spine rigid. The small act of defiance sent a surge of energy through my suppressed core. I will not break.
Gideon simply sighed, a sound of weary patience. "Enough talk. We have a demonstration."
He gestured to the side of the room. Two dark figures, not Scions but guards, emerged, dragging something that made my blood run cold.
It was a cage. Small, iron, and radiating a faint, frantic warmth that was intensely familiar.
Inside, curled tight and terrified, was a small, tawny fox—its fur matted, its eyes wide and panicked. It was a spirit animal, a weak link torn from its host.
The elemental Scion with the scarred skin smiled with a cruel, cold expression. "Let us see if the light champion's compassion is as potent as her fire."
I felt the sudden, agonizing violation—the tearing of a gentle, life-affirming bond. This wasn't just torture; this was a calculated move to weaken my emotional defenses and force a reaction.
Gideon looked directly into my eyes, challenging me. "You will stand here, Alexia. You will watch. And you will understand the price of defiance."
My mind screamed. My body wanted to unleash every particle of light I had, but I knew that was the trap—a sudden burst of power that the surrounding shadow network would immediately absorb.
I swallowed the rising bile, the sheer horror momentarily overwhelming the anger. Think, Alexia. Analyze. The cage. The fox. What are they trying to force?
I clenched my jaw, my eyes burning. I cataloged the chamber, the shadows, the smug faces of The Scions. I could not save that fox now, but I would make them pay for every single thread of light they planned to extinguish.
Find the weak point. Find the path out.
The silence stretched, charged with the pain of the trapped creature and the cold anticipation of my jailers. I knew then that my physical battle was secondary. My survival depended on playing the part of the broken captive just long enough to learn how to destroy them all.