Watcher's Hill was under a state of complete emergency. Captain Vorlag had raised the alarm immediately after Kaito's escape, and the search for the Spectre had begun, albeit unsuccessfully.
However, the focus shifted abruptly when Valerius's security team inspected the residence for traps.
Grand Commander Valerius stood in the security room, his marble face pale as a detection arcanist displayed the scan reading of his son's room.
"Commander Valerius," the arcanist said, his voice strained. "The magical anomaly is located. Under young Lucius's bed."
Valerius, with an authority that brooked no doubt, ordered the object's removal.
The obsidian sphere was placed on a rune detection table. Upon contact, the Lightforged's detection array ignited in a pulsing red light, a color that indicated only one thing: Direct Chaos Corruption.
"Impossible!" Valerius shouted, banging his fist on the table.
The Arcanist dared to speak, his voice low. "Commander, the signature on this artifact is identical to the one recorded on the generators. It is a Shadowforged object, and it has been housed... in your son's room."
Panic gripped Valerius. The Arcanist didn't have to say it: the implication was that Lucius was not only weak in Light magic, but was the sleeper agent who had enabled the sabotage.
The Seed of Doubt
Captain Vorlag, the only one who had seen the intruder in person, entered the room, his face covered in fresh scars from the fight with Kaito.
"Grand Commander," Vorlag said, his voice gravelly. "The intruder I faced was using Shadowforged magic. He was the same one who attacked the Barracks. But why would he let this...?"
Valerius felt the pressure of the Conclave crushing him. The sabotage was unforgivable. The evidence against his son was irrefutable. The truth didn't matter; only perception mattered. If the Shadow had attacked through his own family, Valerius was no longer fit to command.
His duty as leader of the Conclave and Keeper of the Light was clear: he must hand his son over to the Inquisition for full interrogation.
His father's heart screamed otherwise. Valerius remembered Lucius's dedication, his ambition, his failure to obtain the Lightforged. Lucius was not a traitor; he was a victim.
"Vorlag," Valerius said, his voice barely a whisper of authority. "I require absolute discretion." This matter will be handled privately.
Valerius took the obsidian sphere, feeling the coldness of Chaos. He knew he would give the sphere to the Conclave, but not to his son.
The Forced Exile
Valerius went to Lucius's room. The young man woke up, still affected by the nightmare planted by Kaito.
"Father, what is it? I dreamed... I dreamed that you hated me for being weak."
Pain flooded Valerius's face. He hugged his son.
"Listen to me, son. There is a misunderstanding. A trap. The Conclave will believe you are an agent of the Shadow."
Lucius paled. "Me? Never! I only want to serve the Light."
"I know. But the evidence is too strong. I cannot protect you here without betraying my oath."
Valerius, in a desperate act, made the greatest decision of his life. He sacrificed his career, his honor, and his position to save his son's life.
"I'm exiling you. This moment. I'm sending you to the Monasteries of the Dawn, in the Northern Wastes. It's a place without magic, without the influence of the Conclave. Promise me you won't return until I clear your name."
Valerius used his final authority to open an emergency portal, a rapid transit conduit. He sent his son away with a desperate hug. Lucius, confused and terrified, stepped through the portal without looking back.
The Final Consequence
Minutes later, Valerius, alone in his security room, called the Conclave.
"The agent has been neutralized. The threat has been contained."
Valerius didn't lie; he simply manipulated the truth. The threat (his son) was beyond the reach of the Inquisition, but the price was the complete collapse of his authority.
Captain Vorlag, who had heard everything, knew that Valerius had lied to save his son. The Grand Commander had chosen the love of his family over his oath to the Light.
Vorlag, whose loyalty to the Conclave was absolute, took the obsidian sphere.
"I'm sorry, Grand Commander," said Vorlag.
Vorlag left the house. He wasn't going to the Inquisition, but directly to the High Arcanist. Kaito's attack had worked perfectly: not only had it removed Valerius from the board, but it had created a fatal rift of distrust among those loyal to the Light.
Valerius was left alone. The Queen of Ashes had won.