A woman in her early thirties entered the Moon Chamber, her steps measured and quiet. She paused at the entrance, bowing low enough to show respect, but not weakness.
A boy around six clung to her little finger, his small black robes. Like her, he wore no jewellery except a ring with a blood-red stone embedded in it.
She was Iravati Vanshalya — Emperor of Vanshara's Empire, lying south of Sagnik. Neither an ally nor an enemy. Just business partners.
She walked towards the coffin, the boy following closely. She stopped in front of Aariv's coffin and bowed her head deeply, her hand resting briefly on the coffin's edge — a silent farewell.
Turning to Seriya, she stepped forward.
Without a word, Iravati pulled Seriya into her arms, holding her tightly.
Not just a formal hug — a genuine, heavy embrace. The kind that speaks of shared losses across distant lands.
Seriya's arms hung stiffly at first, but then she let herself lean into Iravati for a moment. A moment was all she allowed before pulling back.
Iravati then reached for Kaivan's hands, clasping them with a grip that was firmer than it looked. A silent exchange passed between them.
Seriya bent down, forcing a small, strained smile as she looked at the boy.
"What's your name?" she asked, her voice warm but weighed down by grief.
The boy peeked up shyly, hiding behind his mother's legs.
"Say your name," Iravati said, her tone gentle but urging.
The boy took a breath.
"Arish Vanshalya," he said quickly. Then added, "Mother said if I say my name, people give me chocolate."
He stretched out his hand innocently.
Seriya's lips curved into a pained smile. She crouched lower, almost eye level with him.
"I'll send you chocolates," she said softly. "A lot of them."
"My father said not to believe you," he said.
Iravati's face tightened. She leaned down and quickly pressed her hand over Arish's mouth, her fingers trembling slightly before she steadied herself.
Seriya let out a breath that could almost be a laugh. Almost. "I will send you many chocolates, little one," she said. "If you promise me one thing."
Arish tilted his head. "Only if you give me a lot."
Seriya smiled again — this time, the smile didn't reach her eyes. "You must grow strong," she said. "Stronger than your father. Promise me that."
Arish beamed, his childish pride bright.
"Promise!"
Seriya reached out, brushing a hand lightly across his hair. "Good boy," she whispered.
Iravati watched the exchange, her face unreadable. But her eyes softened for a brief second. She adjusted Arish's robe unnecessarily, her hands lingering longer than needed, as if shielding him from something unseen.
Without more words, Iravati took her son's hand and turned to leave.
As they walked out, Arish tugged at her.
"Mother," he said.
"Say," Iravati answered without breaking stride.
"I heard a voice."
She slowed.
"What voice?"
"In that room." He pointed back toward the moon chamber. "When we went to see him."
Iravati knelt down slightly, bringing herself closer to his height. Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"What did it say?"
"He said... the world will see another bloody battle."
Her heart thudded once, heavily.
"What more did it say?" she asked, her voice steady but cold.
"It said... tell your mother to choose a side."
Iravati's hand tightened around his fingers.
"Anything else?" she pressed.
Arish hesitated. "It said... say hello."
She frowned. "Hello?"
"To Vanshara's Sword."
The last words fell like stones between them.
Iravati's face paled visibly. She stood up swiftly, gathering Arish close.
"We're leaving," she said.
Arish blinked. "Mother? Is it serious?"
"Yes."
Without another word, they walked away, their black figures merging with the shadows at the end of the hall.
Back at the coffin, Kaivan and Seriya remained unmoved.
"He looks like his grandfather," Seriya said, her voice thin.
"No. More like her."
Seriya's gaze remained on the doorway where they had disappeared. "Whoever he takes after... I hope he hasn't inherited her great-grandmother's curse."
"You mean... hearing souls?" Kaivan asked quietly.
She nodded.
"Iravati doesn't have the strength to shield him if he has it," she said.
Kaivan straightened. "Don't worry. I feel like she'll bring the old glory of Vanshara back before anyone even touches her son."
Seriya gave a slight nod, her gaze still fixed on the coffin.
The silence stretched between them, thick and endless.
Footsteps echoed softly against the cold floor.
A couple entered the chamber — a man and a woman, dressed in black. They walked to Aariv's coffin, bowed low, and left without speaking a word.
Another pair entered.
They lingered only a moment before offering a silent prayer and moving on.
The steady stream of mourners continued — some familiar, some distant, but all careful with their steps and actions.
Royals, nobles, old allies, distant relatives — all walked the same measured path.
Pay respects. Bow. Move away.
When a royal entered, the crowd instinctively parted, letting them approach first.
A few dared to come closer — friends of the family, or those bold enough to cross the quiet barrier around Kaivan and Seriya.
A woman in pale white clothes, her hair streaked with silver, stepped forward.
She touched Seriya's hand lightly.
"He was a kind," she said, voice trembling.
Seriya forced a small nod, her fingers cold under the woman's touch.
Another man, draped in the royal blue of a lesser house, bowed to Kaivan. "May the strength he gave us find its way to you now," he said, voice low.
Kaivan met his gaze for a heartbeat and dipped his head, wordless.
Most kept their distance, sensing the weight in the air.
Not all faces were marked by grief.
In the quiet glances exchanged across the chamber, another story was unfolding.
Some watched with gleaming eyes, calculating futures that Aariv's death had just unlocked.
Some stood stiff, fear clear in their expressions — fear of chaos, fear of power shifting hands.
And a few... a few wore the faintest shadows of a smile, hidden well but not enough.
The heavy stillness inside the chamber pressed down on everyone.
It wasn't just mourning that filled the Moon Chamber now.
It was change.
The first breath of a storm gathering far beyond the stone walls.
And amidst it all, Kaivan and Seriya stood unmoving.