The palace of Spline City glowed red at dusk, molten light dripping along its obsidian walls like cooling blood. Torches bent in the heat-wind as Payal, still in her mortal form, entered the feasting hall with Dragon and Rage at her side.The court stopped eating.Some froze mid-gulp.Even the hunting dogs halted, ears pricked.Snake’s eyes narrowed, then widened. “Rage,” he breathed, rising. “And… her?”Payal arched an elegant brow. “I may look harmless,” she said, snapping a single spark between her fingers, “but I can still kill a hall full of idiots if I choose.”Everyone pretended to laugh.Everyone failed.Seven Swords, reclining with a cup as if watching a play, lifted it lazily. “The festival of roots draws near,” he said. “Four moons left. Weddings, engagements, name-givings… Some even wait months for it.” He winked. “Divinity makes people sentimental.”Wildfire kicked her chair back, grinning fiercely. “I cannot wait to go home. Viper will die with jealousy when she sees my

The road bent like a river of iron beneath the hooves of the emperor’s stallion. Cold winds followed them from the Norm Lands, but as they entered Liroid territory, the air changed; it was warmer, stranger, heavy with old power.Dream stretched his arms lazily as he rode beside Kavan, a wicked smile playing at his lips.“All your centuries,” he said, “yet you’ve never seen Liroid lands before.”Kavan did not look at him. His eyes were fixed on the horizon, where the spires of forgotten gods pierced the sky.“I saw these lands before they became Liroid lands,” he said. “And I must admit… the people are better off now.”Passion nudged him gently. “That means more than you think.”He nodded once.“It means Evilside did what the old gods refused to do.”They rode past temple after temple, each carved from rootstone, each humming with the goddess’s breath.Kavan frowned. “Temples everywhere. Even in the smallest villages.”“For easy access,” Passion explained. “Some can’t reach Cellok or D

Where Kings Are Measured Against the BloodlineThe courtyard beneath the Palace of Roots blazed with evening firelight. Lanterns shaped like blooming lilies hovered in the air, swaying with an unseen pulse. The air smelled of thunder, molten stone, and festival incense.Heartless stood before Kavan, serene, deadly, beautiful in the way a blade glitters before it cuts.Her white veil drifted in the wind behind her like a ghost remembering its body.“You will not wait long,” she said. “All royal spouses must take the test. Blood or no blood, power or no power…no ruler enters the Festival unmeasured.”Beside Kavan stood Eden, Wildfire’s new husband, straight-backed and resolute despite the nervous twitch of his fingers. His molten eyes caught the torchlight.Kavan glanced at him.“First time?”Eden swallowed.“Yes. And you?”Kavan huffed softly.“I fear neither gods nor men.”Heartless smiled faintly.“We will see.”BENEATH THE LAST LIGHTFar from the courtyard and its gathering spectato

Night When Moonlight Chose a HeartTheir balcony was quiet, too quiet for Cellok on a feast night.Below, laughter and clinking goblets rose like smoke.But here, in the villa gifted to Passion, two people hovered on the edge of a storm.Kavan sat at the stone railing, the moon painting sharp lines across his scarred jaw.Passion stood beside him, arms wrapped around herself, trying to ignore the sudden heaviness in the air.He broke the silence first.“Who is Sky?”The fruit slipped from Passion’s hand. Her body went still…too still, like a statue remembering it once had blood.“How… how do you know Sky?” she whispered.Kavan didn’t look away. “He paid me a courtesy visit during the trial.”His tone sharpened. “And he told me something I found… interesting.”Passion cursed in the old tongue.“Of course he did. He always meddles. I told him to stay away.”She rubbed her brow. “Sky was… the first person I loved. We were to marry. Before I was told of you.”Kavan nodded slowly. “He is a

Thunder murmured beyond the valley, though no storm had been called. The night itself seemed to breathe as Blood Liroid walked between Snake and Dragon.He did not need an escort; legends rarely do, but tradition demanded respect.Blood Liroid.First male of the lineage.Son of Moon.Grandson of Irinrod the Cruel.War-angel of the Liroids, peacemaker of their hearths.A giant in spirit, though tonight he walked with the softness of old memory.Liroids bowed as he passed, not out of fear, but reverence earned over centuries.He looked to his left and saw Brightwrought and Brightwrath, his granddaughters, founders of the guilds, laughing with their cousins under the lights of the valley.Blood sighed.“My daughters, Love and Hate, fought for centuries,” he murmured. “Laws, traditions, pride… whatever the reason, twin hearts broke over old wounds. I feared their quarrel would poison the generations.”He nodded toward the laughing women.“But their daughters have not inherited their feud.