Xerxus finally made it to Kota's room. He saw Jaeger standing in the hall but didn't speak.
Three quiet knocks came from the other side of the door.
"May I come in?" Xerxus asked, voice low and solemn.
Inside, Leiya started to move like she was about to leave.
"Where are you going? Kota said without turning from the window. "You don't have to leave."
He wants me to stay?
The thought caught her off guard. She settled back against the headboard.
"…Okay," She said quietly.
"Come in," Kota muttered.
The door opened. Xerxus stepped inside and spotted Leiya sitting on the bed almost immediately.
He cleared his throat. "Sorry. I thought you were alone. My apologies."
The fluster showed for only a second.
"Ignore her," Kota said flatly.
Xerxus held his gaze for a moment, then gave a short nod. The awkwardness left his posture as he stepped fully into the room and shut the door behind him.
He moved to the chair against the wall and sat down with the same controlled ease he carried everywhere.
"You should know i spoke with high ranking Solstians," he said. His voice was steady.
"You will either meet with them… or be sent to the Onyxville until you decide to leave"
"Onyxville?" Kota asked.
"Onyxville falls under my jurisdiction, "Xerxus said. "You will remain there under my supervision"
Kota's expression remained still.
"So I'm being relocated?"
"You'll be somewhere i'll be able to protect you without having you in the palace"
Kota's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The nobles demanded this?"
"They demanded that you leave the palace." Xerxus leaned back in the chair. "Onyxville is where I can keep you under my supervision."
Kota remained silent.
"Onyxville gives them what they want. Distance from the palace." Xerxus's gaze stayed fixed on him. "And it gives me what I need."
"What do you need?" Kota's voice was quieter now.
"To keep you alive." Xerxus added.
Kota turned back toward the window.
"You call that a choice?" Kota's fingers tightened against the stone frame. "It sounds like the decision was made before you walked through that door."
Xerxus held his gaze. "It is the reality of the situation."
"Then tell me what you're leaving out." Kota's hands remained against the stone. "What happens if I meet them?"
"They will test you," Xerxus answered. "Publicly. Quietly. Either way, they will decide whether you are a threat that can be managed… or one that cannot."
Kota's jaw tightened. "And if I refuse?"
"Then Onyxville becomes your only remaining option inside my jurisdiction."
The room stayed quiet for a moment. Leiya watched both of them without speaking.
Kota exhaled through his nose, sharp and short.
"You're telling me this like I don't already feel it," he said. "The way they look at me. The way the air changes when I walk into a room. Something's already moving. You're just late saying it out loud."
Xerxus rested his hands on the arms of the chair.
"Then you understand why this conversation could not wait any longer."
Kota turned fully toward him now.
"I understand you're still not saying everything." His voice stayed low, but the urgency was clearer now. "So say it. What are they actually afraid of?"
Xerxus was quiet for a short stretch. When he spoke again, his tone remained even, but the weight behind it was clear.
"They look at you the way they do because you possess something only high ranking Solstians can see." He glanced briefly toward the floor near Kota's feet. "Two shadows… That is why they look at you like a monster."
Leiya's eyes widened slightly. "Two shadows?" she repeated.
Xerxus exhaled slowly.
"I lied to you about the ceremony."
Kota didn't look away.
"I know," he said. "I've known since the first conversation we had."
Xerxus held his gaze without flinching.
"Then you already know this conversation was overdue."
Silence settled between them.
Outside, the streets below remained dark, the occasional torch flickering against the distant buildings.
Leiya sat very still on the bed, watching both of them.
Kota turned back toward the glass.
"I'm not going to Onyxville," he said. The urgency was still there, quieter now but sharper. "And I'm not walking into a room full of people who already decided what I am."
Xerxus studied him for a long moment.
"Then you will have to decide very soon what you are willing to do," he said. "Because the high ranking nobles will not wait forever."
He stood. The chair made almost no sound as he rose.
"I will give you until the end of the day to choose," Xerxus said. "After that, the decision will no longer be yours."
Kota remained silent for a moment.
"If I decide to meet them, what time will it happen?"
Xerxus paused at the door.
"Tomorrow morning," Xerxus said. "Rhen will come for you when it's time. The two of you will meet me at the council chamber."
He walked to the door, paused for a moment, and looked back once.
Then he left.
The room was quiet again.
Boy.
The voice was colder than usual.
He is not lying about the shadows. And he is not lying about the time you have left.
Kota didn't answer.
Leiya watched the side of his face for a long moment before she spoke.
"What are we going to do?"
Kota's eyes stayed on the dark streets below.
"I don't know yet," he said. "But I'm not running. And I'm not kneeling."
The room remained still. Neither of them moved.
A few moments passed before Leiya finally turned toward the door. "Jaeger?"
There was a brief silence from the other side.
"Yeah?" Jaeger answered.
"Come in."
The door opened slowly.
Jaeger stepped inside, his eyes moving between Kota and Leiya before settling on Kota.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Leiya shook her head. "It's more than meets the eye with this kingdom," she replied.
Jaeger's brow lowered slightly. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know exactly." Leiya glanced toward the window. "But you can feel it. The way they look at Kota. The way the king talks around certain things. It's like they're hiding something."
She paused before adding,
"Something that may not even be explainable."
Kota remained silent for a moment. Then he nodded. "You're right."
Jaeger studied him. "You think so too?"
Kota turned away from the window and faced Jaeger fully.
"While I'm meeting these 'nobles,' I want you to do something for me."
Jaeger waited. "What?"
"I want you to move through the kingdom without being seen."
Jaeger's gaze remained fixed on him.
"Don't stay near the palace," Kota continued. "Don't let anyone know you're investigating anything. Watch the people. The guards. The nobles. The districts."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Find out what they don't want outsiders to see."
Jaeger gave a slow nod. "And if I find something?"
"Don't confront anyone." Kota's voice remained level. "Bring it to me."
Jaeger held his stare for a moment before speaking again.
"Did you hear my conversation with Xerxus?" Kota asked.
"I heard all of it," Jaeger replied.
Kota watched him closely.
"Then you already know what I'm thinking."
Jaeger's gaze didn't shift.
"I do."
Kota gave a small nod. "Thanks."
Jaeger turned toward the door.
He stopped with his hand just short of the handle.
Then he disappeared. No footsteps. No warning. One instant he was there.
The next, the room was empty.
Leiya stared at the spot where he had been standing.
"He really is good at that," she remarked.
Kota turned back toward the window.
"That's why I asked him."
Leiya looked at him for another moment before settling against the headboard.
Outside, the kingdom remained shrouded in darkness. Somewhere beyond the palace walls, Jaeger had already begun his search.