Aethelgard had fallen. The Cathedral of Lightforged now served as the new Ashen Throne. The air smelled not of incense and faith, but of obsidian and the corrosive power of Chaos.
The Queen of Ash, seated upon the ancient altar of Light, presided over the reorganization. Kaito, standing to her right, no longer wore his Wraith robes; he wore dark scale armor, a symbol of his new rank: Vice-Commander of Ash.
Zylpha, Elora, and Lysandra formed an arc of power before the throne, awaiting the distribution of the city's resources.
"Victory is sweet, my Commanders," the Queen declared, her voice ringing with triumph. "Each of you has been instrumental. But the architect of this victory is Kaito. He has proven that ruthlessness is the ultimate intelligence."
The Queen turned to Kaito, her gaze a mixture of pride and possession.
"Vice-Commander Kaito, in this moment of conquest, I grant you the right to claim your war prize. What resource of ancient Aethelgard do you wish to take as your own personal domain?"
Kaito didn't hesitate. He didn't ask for gold or military fortresses; he sought intellectual power.
"My Queen, I claim the Great Library of the Conclave. Its archives of reincarnation, ancient magic, and secrets of the Light will be my laboratories."
Elora smiled, her intellectual ambition satisfied. Lysandra nodded, recognizing its strategic value. The Queen nodded approvingly.
"Granted. The Library is yours. Now, you must secure your dominion with an act of authority. Choose the captives. Who will receive your punishment, and who will be transformed into your tool?"
The Judgement of the Captives
The Shadow had taken strategic prisoners. Among them was the High Arcanist who had once ordered Kaito's execution, and several leaders of the Inquisition.
Kaito did not choose execution. He chose manipulation.
"The High Arcanist will be handed over to Elora for the complete extraction of his knowledge and experimentation. The Inquisitors will be handed over to Lysandra to be retrained as my double-dealing agents abroad. Their rage will make them loyal to my cause."
The Queen bowed approvingly. "Intelligent cruelty. Excellent."
Finally, Captain Vorlag was dragged before the throne. His armor was broken, his face consumed by the shame of his failure at the Cathedral.
"Captain Vorlag," Kaito said, speaking with the voice of his new authority. "You chose loyalty to the Light, but the Light did not choose you. Your faith made you weak."
Kaito did not kill him. He looked at him coldly and handed him over to the Discipline Commander.
"Captain Vorlag, for your failure, you will be handed over to Zylpha. She will teach you the true meaning of discipline and service. She will make you the combat tool Valerius never was."
Zylpha smiled, a fierce gesture. She had gained a proud new toy for her Forge. Kaito had used the trial not only to punish, but to reinforce the bonds of power and dynamics with his Harem, granting each a resource that aligned with his dominance.
The Last Prisoner
The Queen gestured. The room emptied, leaving only Kaito, Lysandra, and herself.
"There is one last prisoner, Kaito. The most important one. The one who gave you this victory."
Kaito knew who she meant: Ren.
"Your brother, the Paladin, is broken. But his valor is not over. The Light, though defeated, will seek to regroup. And Ren is its beacon."
The Queen approached Kaito. Her touch was a total reaffirmation of his possession and the power she had bestowed upon him.
"You must take Ren to the Great Library. He will be your anchor of knowledge. You will use the Lasso and the ancestral archives to extract from his mind any trace of resistance that might form. I do not ask for his death. I ask for his eternity in servitude."
Lysandra, with an expression of anticipation, added, "And I will assist you, Vice-Commander. The project of desecrating his memory must continue."
Kaito accepted the order. The Paladin, now an empty shell, would be his final project. The triumph of the Shadow meant that Ren's life would be eternal betrayal.
Kaito headed for the catacombs to claim his prisoner. Victory had come, and with it, the burden of maintaining the submission of the last Light in Etherea.