Igaris sat up fully now, gently moving Celestara to sit on his lap. His gaze swept across all of them. The calm was gone from his eyes, replaced by the weight of sovereignty.
"In Oynstar," he began, "I faced a Law Master who claimed transcendence. He fell. Afterward, I was brought before the Emperor. He was dying, bound by a curse even gods cannot undo. He saw me as the heir to his throne. His visions through the Fate Law told him his end was certain, but my arrival was inevitable. Before he died, he named me as his successor."
The air grew heavy. Even the starlit meadow seemed to dim as silence stretched.
"You mean…" Shirley whispered. "You are now…"
"The Emperor of Oynstar," Igaris said simply.
The words landed like thunder.
Celestara blinked up at him, confused. "Papa… aren't you an Overlord? What's an Emperor?"
