The Great Hall of Everhart was a cathedral of judgment. White marble pillars soared into a ceiling painted with the faces of past Everhart lords, their cold gazes glaring down as though ready to pass sentence. Golden banners hung heavy from the arches, embroidered with dragons, moons, and blades. The torches burned with restless flames, their crackling echoing against the stone.
Every noble seat was filled. Robes of velvet and brocade rustled, jewels glittered, and whispered words floated through the air like poison.
"Look at him—dressed like one of us, but still a peasant at heart."
"Disgraceful. To let him step into the Circle… Everhart has fallen low."
"Let the Circle expose him. The truth cannot be faked."
The whispers pressed like thorns against Andy's chest. His palms were damp, though he clenched his fists to hide it. But then he felt the cool touch of Nia's hand, steady and firm in his own. He turned, and in her silver eyes there was no fear, no doubt—only faith.
The Circle of Loyalty lay at the center of the hall, etched into the stone floor like a scar from another age. The runes pulsed faintly, as if aware of the weight they would soon bear. For centuries, it had judged every oath, stripped every lie, revealed every hidden betrayal.
Kayla was already there, a vision of radiance. Draped in white silk, her veil catching the torchlight, she smiled like a saint. Her voice, when she spoke, was soft but carried unnaturally across the hall. "Step forward. Let the Circle decide."
Andy and Nia crossed into the runes together. At once the Circle flared to life, silver light climbing the carvings, rising in a dome that sealed them within. The chamber hushed. Andy felt the weight of a thousand eyes on his back. The air thickened, heavy with unseen force.
The illusions came quickly. Shadows spilled across the circle, twisting into phantoms.
Andy staggered as he saw himself—his blades dripping with blood, driving into Nia's chest. Her silver eyes widened with betrayal before dimming into lifeless void. His stomach lurched.
Nia gasped as her own shadow appeared, hand slipping from Andy's to rest in the arm of another nobleman, her smile radiant as she turned away from him. The hall buzzed with gasps and delighted whispers.
"There! Even the Circle reveals it!" a marquis jeered, slamming his cane. "False loyalty!"
Andy's knees buckled. The whispers rose louder, like a mob in his skull.
A harsh chime cut through his panic.
System Alert: Instability detected. Bond Sync required.
His breath came ragged. The fire in his veins roared, consuming, uncontrolled.
Then Nia's grip on his hand tightened. Her voice pierced the storm. "That isn't you. I know you. I trust you."
Her mana flowed into him, steady and cool, weaving with his chaotic flame. The storm inside him calmed, reshaped, bent toward her light.
System Notice: Mana Resonance stabilized.
Andy's vision cleared. He lifted his head, fire returning to his gaze. "No. What I fear is losing her. And I'll never let that happen."
Their bond pulsed. Flame erupted from Andy's body, crimson and gold, while silver light cascaded from Nia's. The two collided and fused, becoming a storm that burst across the Circle. Shadows screamed as they were torn apart.
The runes cracked, their ancient power overwhelmed.
System Update: Bond Resonance achieved.
Progression: 160% → 163%.
Reward Granted: Public Trust Aura.
Effect: Charisma +25%, political influence strengthened.
Andy felt it—strength in his voice, certainty in his step. He raised his head, his words booming. "You doubt me because I wasn't born noble. But loyalty is not blood. It is choice. And I choose her. Always her."
The Circle shattered with a sound like glass.
Chaos erupted in the hall. Nobles leapt to their feet. Some cried in awe, some in anger.
"Impossible!"
"The Circle cannot be broken!"
"It has never failed in a thousand years!"
A duke with frost-white hair rose shakily, eyes wide. "Perhaps… this is not failure. Perhaps this is proof of something greater."
But a baron in crimson robes pointed, face red with fury. "This is no miracle! It is heresy! That boy wields power too wild, too dangerous!"
The hall split in two—factions drawn in a heartbeat. Some bowed their heads in reverence. Others shouted condemnation.
Kayla stepped forward, veil glowing in torchlight. Her voice was velvet, her words knives. "Do not mistake destruction for purity. The Circle broke not from truth, but from reckless force. Their bond is not divine—it is unstable."
Her golden eyes gleamed, and Andy felt something tug at his mind. The world wavered.
System Warning: External Influence Detected. Corruption Probability: 12%.
He clenched his jaw, fighting the haze. Then Nia's mana surged, anchoring him.
System Notice: Bond Anchor activated. Instability suppressed.
The tendril snapped. Andy straightened, glare fixed on Kayla. For the briefest moment, her smile twitched.
Lord Everhart finally stood, his voice cutting through the storm. "Enough." His eyes swept the hall, lingering on Andy and Nia. "For centuries, the Circle has judged without error. Today, it was broken. Whether by miracle or madness, none can deny what we have witnessed." His tone hardened. "This bond is real. But its consequences… remain to be seen."
The chamber fell into uneasy silence.
Andy stepped forward, raising his and Nia's joined hands high. Their bond flared, silver flame and golden fire blazing together, casting long shadows across the nobles. "If you trust in ancient stones, then cling to them. But if you seek loyalty that endures beyond ritual, beyond power—look here."
The blaze silenced even the boldest. For one breathless moment, they all stared, caught in the truth of what stood before them.
Then chaos again. Nobles shouting, arguing, rushing to choose sides. Some hurried toward Kayla, others whispered near Lord Everhart. A few simply stared, eyes filled with something close to reverence.
Kayla remained still, her saintly smile fixed, but Andy saw her knuckles white where her nails dug into her palms.
The hall emptied slowly. Whispers lingered like ghosts in the air. Some nobles muttered oaths of loyalty to Kayla. Others argued that perhaps Andy and Nia were chosen. Lord Everhart dismissed the chamber with a wave, though his eyes never left Andy, as though weighing him against the weight of the entire house.
Andy exhaled heavily once they were alone in the vast corridor beyond the hall. His shoulders slumped, the adrenaline bleeding from his veins. "They hate me. Some of them always will."
Nia's hand tightened in his. "Let them. Today, they saw what we are. And they cannot ignore us anymore."
He gave a faint, weary smile. "You always make it sound so simple."
"Because with you," she whispered, leaning closer, "it is."
The System's voice hummed quietly in the back of his mind, less a chime than a reminder, steady as a heartbeat.
System Reminder: Public Trust Aura stabilized. Bond Synchronization maintained.
Next milestone: 165%.
Andy lifted his gaze to the high windows where the night sky spilled silver stars across the velvet dark. He gripped Nia's hand more firmly.
"If this is just the beginning," he murmured, resolve burning in his chest, "then let it come. I won't falter."
And with that vow, they walked on together, shadows trailing behind them, the storm of politics rising ahead.
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