At the entrance of each queen, pure power and confidence became more concentrated in the air. Their energy almost matched that of the Five Pillars, and anyone who passed by could feel their blood run cold at the sight of such raw, unadulterated authority.
The command the individuals present in the room held over the realm was beyond imaginable, clearly demonstrating their sheer dominance.
The silence was interrupted by the subtle sound of a distant orchestra. The sound was low, ominous, and deliberate. The strings dragged like tension across skin.
It did nothing to humble the atmosphere. If anything, it made it heavier, more intense.
Khaios then walked away from his throne to the center of the room.
"My, my… to what do I owe the pleasure of being in the company of such beautiful and exceptional women? I am Khaios Von Tarot, pleased to make your acquaintance."
"A pleasure indeed. I must say, you are quite the dashing gentleman," Cixella spoke first, throwing all formalities out the window. Her tone was as casual as saying the sun rises in the east.
"And I believe it's the first time I've seen eyes glow before," Rogue smiled mischievously. "I never believed it for a second when I was initially told."
"Because of that silver hair?" Ravenna interrupted.
"Exactly. But I was immediately disappointed when my mother killed that dream, explaining my unique hair was due to a disease from infancy."
"At least your mother killed your dreams. Some of us are stuck with daddy issues," Nova stated dryly. "Luckily, he's not alive anymore. That would've been such a pain."
Ravenna chuckled with a knowing smirk, brushing invisible dust from her shoulder.
"I hear you. At least we weren't handed our positions. I dare say we worked pretty hard to achieve our titles."
"Agreed," all the queens said at once, laughing it off, easing the tension on a small scale.
Axion and Wreck joined the laughter, their interest piqued at what their brother discussed with the queens to bring about such a result.
Wreck's voice cut through, dry and amused.
"Is it just me, or did the room get more interesting the second we stopped pretending to rule from our chairs?"
Khaios gave a low chuckle, his gaze fixed on the queens like a man amused by the storm he'd willingly let through the gates.
"Indeed, brother. And to think, after all these years, it wasn't steel or strategy that stirred this court, but laughter in heels."
Axion smiled when his eyes landed on Cixella.
"Well, well, well. I see you finally got yourself married to a crown, Captain."
Cix rolled her eyes playfully, knowing exactly what Axion meant.
"If it isn't Axion, the imperial pain in my ass. Don't push your luck, kid. I'm still in charge of strategy. Don't think I'll sit on a throne like some doll just because I've got an attachment to my head."
"Where's the fun in that? The only thing I need is my sword and my wits."
Rogue's lips curled, eyes narrowing with the ease of someone playing a game she was all too familiar with.
"Spoken like a true warrior. My mother would love you."
Mist and Shadow lounged in their thrones like they'd been poured into them, half-listening, half-lost in some silent conversation only they understood.
Shadow drummed his fingers on the armrest. Mist watched the ceiling, which he clearly found more interesting than the conversation going on in the room.
Then, in the blink of an eye, they were gone.
No flash. No sound. Nothing.
A heartbeat later, they stood beside the gathered queens, perfectly still, unnervingly calm, as though they'd always been there.
Not a soul flinched.
The queens merely acknowledged them with a glance, as if twin figures materializing from thin air was the most natural thing in the world.
But the Pillars noticed.
There was a flicker of something across Khaios's face. Wreck paused mid-sip of his drink. Axion leaned forward just slightly. None of them said it aloud, but the shared look between them said enough.
They didn't flinch.
Shadow tilted his head toward Ravenna, amused.
"You get used to our entrances this quickly?"
Ravenna shrugged, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Was I supposed to scream or something?"
Mist's eyes gleamed faintly.
"Most do."
Cixella smirked.
"Try harder next time."
"I could fake a reaction, if that's what you're really after?" Nova offered, and Rogue gasped sarcastically.
"Oh my, how frightening."
Laughter hummed just beneath the surface. Not loud. Not giddy. But sharp. Controlled. Dangerous.
Just like them.
The great doors creaked open.
The sound was slow and intentional. A line of cloaked men entered the hall like a shadow walking on two legs. They moved without hesitation, cutting through the space with the kind of quiet that made noise feel disrespectful.
At their center, they carried a basin.
The Obsidian's pact.
Heavy. Marked in runes older than any throne in the room. Inside it, blue water shimmered. Glowing faintly, like it remembered the stars. It didn't ripple. It pulsed.
The lead herald stopped at the center of the hall and lowered his hood.
His voice was smooth, expressionless.
"Your Majesties… it's time."
The basin was placed directly beneath the carved circle in the marble floor. A perfect mark, strategically placed. Dead center.
Then the tower groaned.
Above, ancient stone stirred. The ceiling split open in deliberate motion, revealing a sky that was too black, too quiet. Except the full moon, that stared down like it had been summoned.
Moonlight dropped into the room like a blade.
It hit the basin. The blue water lit up brighter, sharper, alive. The phenomenon cast an ethereal glow in the chamber. Reflections skated across the floor like ghosts.
Another robed figure stepped forward. A velvet case was opened, slow and ceremonial. Inside, the dagger waited.
The Moonschard.
Believed to be born from the moon.
Sleek. Curved. Older than the hall itself. Its edge glinted like it had taken oaths before, oaths that were never broken.
No one spoke.
They stepped forward.
First the Pillars, then the Queens. No hesitation. No ceremony.
They formed a circle around the basin.
Nine shadows. Nine forces. No thrones. No rank. Just power.
The herald gave a single nod.
"This is the pact. Blood for blood. Balance for power. What stands here tonight cannot be undone."
The dagger passed from hand to hand.
A cut. A drop. Then another. Then another.
The basin responded. The glow deepened. Shadows danced. A soft tremor ran underfoot, like the tower itself was waking.
And no one looked away.
The water swirled.
Fast and unnatural. As if something beneath it had been waiting to be fed. A sudden gust of wind killed the torches, leaving nothing but the glowing light.
Then it hit.
Not a flash. Not a whisper. A surge.
The moment their blood fused in the basin, it turned on them.
There was no warning, no mercy.
Pain, immediate and merciless, carved through every nerve like lightning. Their bodies stiffened. Breaths caught in throats. Eyes went hollow for a second too long.
And then came the weight
Not just pain. Not just agony. It was deeper. Personal.
They felt everything.
Every wound. Every scream. Every death rattle swallowed by the people sworn to their name.
The woes of every single soul under their rule. A million heartaches dragged across their souls like claws through wet ash. It wasn't power. It was punishment.
The pact didn't want rulers,
It wanted understanding leaders.
No one screamed.
But the silence, it cracked.
One by one, they dropped.
First to their knees. Then further. The light around the basin throbbed like a pulse trying to keep them grounded.
But it was too much.
One by one, each of them lost consciousness.
And the last to fall was Khaios.
He watched in pain as the queens and his brothers fell, and that's when he felt it.
The pain his mother, Queen Mahika, went through when she brought him into the world in the eye of that storm.
His heart clenched. His breath hitched.
Dropping him to his knees as he slowly lost consciousness.
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Next scene focuses on our second queen Nova using a diff POV, so there's no confusion chapter name will be origins 2
Hearts. Happy reading