The shrine wasn't silent.
It was holding its breath.
I left the Heartroot behind me—still echoing, still warm.
The shrine above hadn't changed.
But Talraine had.
She was still kneeling in the center. The cracked glyphs around her pulsed faintly, like they were trying to forget what just happened. Her collar was burnt. Her aura staggered when she saw me again—like she wasn't sure I was real.
I was.
Just not the same version of me the system was built for.
Threadweave light bled down the walls, twitching like it didn't know who to obey. The glyphs had stopped mutating. The system had stopped mourning.
But not because it accepted anything.
Because it was preparing something.
I felt it before I saw it.
A ripple in the air.
A crown's echo where no crown should be.
[Warning: Emergency Authority Protocol – Level 5 Override Incoming]
[Crownwright Reset Protocol – Manual Insertion Authorized]
[Target: Kaius Vale – Class: MILF Monarch (Corrupted Tier)]
