In the Douglas mansion, the room in the east wing was shrouded in darkness.
Through the closed windows, the prayers of the capital could be heard, muffled by the thick walls.
Since the arrival of the Heralds, the temples had never stopped filling.
The city prayed.
Some prayed for hope.
Others for fear.
And some simply because they no longer knew what else to do.
Sophia had drawn the curtains.
She did not want to look at the city.
Not that night.
Lusian rested with his head in her lap while she slowly stroked his hair.
Her fingers moved gently.
But her jaw remained tense.
"That... hero."
The contempt in her voice made Lusian open his eyes slightly.
"Pointing at you like that. In front of the entire court. As if he had the right to judge you."
Her fingers stopped for a moment.
"I almost forgot that I'm not supposed to kill children simply because the gods put a blessing inside their bodies."
Lusian swallowed.
"Mother..."
"No."
Sophia resumed stroking his hair.
"If I had opened my mouth out there, that boy would have left the hall without a tongue."
She paused.
"Or without his head."
Lusian said nothing.
Not because he doubted her.
Quite the opposite.
He knew Sophia could have done it.
And probably no one in that room would have been able to stop her.
"He tried to humiliate you," she continued. "In front of the king. In front of the nobles. In front of everyone."
Her hand slowly moved through her son's hair again.
"I won't allow anyone to treat you like that."
Lusian lowered his gaze.
He wanted to tell her that wasn't what mattered.
That Alejandro wasn't the real danger.
Leonardo wasn't either.
That the heroes were merely pieces.
But he couldn't.
He couldn't tell her about Kheris.
He couldn't tell her about the game.
Or the future.
Or Emily's sword piercing his chest.
All of that belonged to him alone.
"I know," he murmured.
Sophia watched him for several seconds.
"You're worried."
Lusian remained silent.
"Not about those two boys."
He raised his eyes.
Sophia narrowed hers.
"Then tell me what you're worried about."
Lusian hesitated.
He didn't know what answer to give her.
Finally, he spoke cautiously.
"The capital."
Sophia said nothing.
"Ever since the Heralds arrived... everything has been changing too quickly."
Lusian paused.
"The temples are gaining influence. The people listen to them. Now they have heroes."
His fingers tightened slightly around the fabric of his clothes.
"And we're right in the middle of all of it."
Sophia remained thoughtful.
"Do you think they'll point at you again?"
Lusian slowly shook his head.
"I don't know."
That answer was true.
At least in part.
"But if there were two today... there could be more tomorrow."
Sophia let out a sigh.
"Alejandro has reasons to hate us."
Lusian lowered his gaze.
"I know."
He did not try to defend the Douglases.
He couldn't.
There were families that had disappeared beneath their banners.
Parents who had lost their children.
Children who had grown up without their parents.
And now one of those survivors had a divine blessing and a reason to seek justice.
"But Leonardo hates me too," Lusian continued.
Sophia looked at him.
"Because of Isabella?"
Lusian nodded.
"Yes."
A brief silence filled the room.
Sophia resumed stroking his hair.
"Then you have two problems."
Lusian let out a small, nervous laugh.
"Seems like it."
But Sophia didn't smile.
"No."
The word came with a different kind of calm.
Lusian raised his eyes.
"We have one."
Sophia slowly withdrew her hand from his hair.
"The heroes aren't the problem."
Her eyes hardened.
"The problem is who has the authority to put them in front of you."
Lusian froze.
Sophia continued.
"Today it was an accusation in court."
"Tomorrow it could be an order."
Lusian felt a chill.
He hadn't thought of it that way.
"And if the temples continue to grow..."
Sophia finished the thought.
"They could turn you into an enemy before you even have a chance to defend yourself."
Lusian lowered his gaze.
It was exactly what he feared.
But he couldn't tell her why.
"Then... we should return to the duchy."
Sophia looked at him.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then she stood.
"Yes."
Lusian blinked.
"Yes?"
"Tomorrow."
The answer was immediate.
"We're returning to the duchy."
Lusian slowly nodded.
Some of the tension he had been carrying for hours began to disappear.
Home.
The thought alone was reassuring.
The Douglas Duchy was not like the capital.
There, the Douglases were not simply a noble family.
They were a unit.
A tradition.
An identity shared across generations.
And above all, they had learned that when one Douglas fell, all the others rose.
Sophia walked toward the window.
"In the capital, we're surrounded by eyes."
She slightly moved the curtain.
"In the duchy, we know exactly who stands at our side."
Lusian sat up.
"I'll be able to train there."
Sophia nodded.
"You will."
"We can also prepare the defenses."
"They'll already be preparing them before we arrive."
Lusian remained silent.
Sophia turned her gaze toward him.
"Are you expecting an attack?"
Lusian hesitated.
He couldn't tell her yes with certainty.
"I don't know."
A pause.
"But if those heroes truly want justice... someday they'll come for us."
Sophia didn't seem surprised.
"Then we'll be ready."
There was no fear in her voice.
Only certainty.
"It doesn't matter how strong those boys become. They're still young."
Lusian looked at her.
"And the Heralds..."
Sophia let the curtain fall.
"They can die too."
There was no arrogance in her words.
Only a fact.
"We'll see if a divine blessing can grant immortality."
She had seen men more powerful than any noble in the capital die.
And she herself had three creatures at her side capable of turning a battle into a massacre.
But that didn't mean she wanted to fight.
Sophia stroked his hair one last time.
"And Emily..."
Lusian slightly raised his eyes.
Sophia sighed.
"She is still your fiancée."
"Yes."
"We don't know what she'll do when the time comes."
Lusian felt a weight in his chest.
He didn't answer.
He couldn't tell her that she was precisely the person who frightened him the most.
Sophia continued.
"So we won't make any rash decisions."
Lusian nodded.
"We'll treat her as what she is now."
"My fiancée."
"Exactly."
Sophia stepped away.
"The future will decide the rest."
Lusian remained silent.
The future.
That word sent a chill through him.
Because he had already seen one.
And he didn't want to see it again.
Sophia walked toward the door.
"Get ready. We're leaving."
Lusian looked at her in surprise.
"Now?"
"Now."
Duchess Douglas opened the door.
Before leaving, she stopped.
"We're going home."
Lusian watched her walk away.
For the first time since the Heralds arrived, he felt like he could breathe a little easier.
The duchy was his refuge.
His family was there.
Sophia was there.
And as long as they remained together, no one could easily touch him.
But Lusian knew something his mother didn't.
The heroes would grow stronger.
The gods would not stop.
And someday...
Emily might have to choose between the person she loved and the will of the Goddess who now dwelled within her.
Lusian closed his eyes.
He didn't know what she would do.
Not yet.
But he knew one thing.
He wasn't going to sit around and wait to find out.
This time, he would prepare before the future arrived.
Later, at the Royal Palace
The king's private chamber was quiet.
Philip was standing beside Queen Adelaine and two of his advisers when the doors opened.
Sophia entered.
She wasn't accompanied by an escort.
She didn't need one.
She walked forward until she stood before the king and gave a slight bow.
"Your Majesty."
Philip nodded.
"Duchess."
Sophia maintained her posture.
"I have come to inform you that I will be returning to the duchy tomorrow."
Philip frowned slightly.
"Tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"The capital is still in a delicate situation."
"I know."
Sophia raised her eyes.
"That is precisely why I must return."
Philip watched her for several seconds.
He didn't need to ask the reason.
"Lusian."
"My son."
The answer came immediately.
Adelaine lowered her gaze slightly.
"Sophia..."
The duchess turned toward her.
The queen smiled sadly.
"Before you say anything... I want to thank you."
Sophia remained silent.
Adelaine continued.
"For everything you did during the crisis."
Her voice softened.
"Not just the caravans."
"For everything."
The queen clasped her hands slightly.
"If the Douglases hadn't opened their warehouses, many people would have starved."
Sophia said nothing.
"And if your men hadn't protected the roads..."
Adelaine paused.
"I don't even know if the capital would have survived."
Sophia inclined her head slightly.
"It was our responsibility."
"No."
Adelaine gently shook her head.
"It was more than that."
For several seconds, no one spoke.
There were too many things that didn't need to be said.
The queen had watched the kingdom stagger.
And she had also watched the Douglases hold it together when others could do nothing but watch.
"Thank you, Sophia."
The duchess held her gaze.
"You don't have to thank me."
"Yes, I do."
Adelaine smiled faintly.
"Perhaps in a few years, no one will remember who truly saved the kingdom."
A pause.
"But I will remember."
Sophia lowered her gaze slightly.
"Then that's enough for me."
Philip had remained silent until then.
Finally, he spoke.
"I don't think you're returning solely because of your son."
Sophia turned her eyes toward him.
"No."
The king slowly rose from his seat.
"The Heralds."
Sophia didn't answer.
There was no need.
Philip walked a few steps across the room.
"Since they arrived, the temples have gained an influence that no king could have built in decades."
He stopped beside a window.
"The people listen to them."
"The priests obey them."
"And now they have heroes."
Sophia nodded.
"That is what concerns me."
Philip turned his head toward her.
"Me too."
The king remained silent for several seconds, staring outside.
"But not because of the heroes."
Sophia raised an eyebrow slightly.
Philip smiled.
"They're young."
A small smile appeared on Sophia's face as well.
"And they're still learning to control what they've been given."
"Exactly."
Philip returned to the table.
"But the Heralds..."
His expression changed.
He was no longer the king receiving a powerful duchess.
He was a man who had spent his entire life reading the intentions of other men.
"I don't like them."
Sophia watched him.
"Why?"
Philip placed both hands on the table.
"Because they speak like saviors."
A pause.
"But they act like conquerors."
Sophia's eyes narrowed slightly.
Philip continued.
"They haven't demanded a throne."
"Yet."
"They haven't asked to control the army."
"Yet."
"They haven't asked to replace the crown."
Philip raised his eyes.
"Yet."
The silence grew heavy.
"They have a religion," Sophia said.
"And now they have a cause."
Philip nodded.
"A cause that can justify almost anything."
Adelaine watched the two of them.
"Do you truly believe their intentions are that dangerous?"
Philip took several seconds to answer.
"I don't know."
Then he smiled faintly.
"And that's precisely what worries me."
Sophia crossed her arms.
"What do you advise me to do, then?"
Philip looked directly at her.
"Be careful with them."
There was no drama in his voice.
Only experience.
"They're too polite."
Sophia let out a small smile.
"Is that the problem?"
"No."
Philip shook his head.
"The problem is that they know when to be polite."
Sophia understood.
The Heralds didn't need to threaten anyone.
Not yet.
They were building influence.
Temples.
Priests.
Heroes.
Faith.
And, little by little, authority.
Philip sat down again.
"The kingdom is going to change, Sophia."
She remained silent.
"We all know that."
The king looked toward the window.
"The arrival of the gods has changed something we cannot undo."
Adelaine lowered her gaze.
"And we don't know what will remain when it's over."
Philip nodded.
"Exactly."
Sophia breathed slowly.
"Do you think our alliance will change?"
Philip did not answer immediately.
The question was too important to answer with a lie.
Finally, he said:
"It's possible."
Sophia didn't seem surprised.
"The Douglases have served this crown for generations."
"I know."
"And we will continue to do so as long as our interests align."
Philip looked at her.
"And if one day they no longer do?"
Sophia held his gaze.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
"Then I hope we can remember ourselves as allies before we remember ourselves as enemies."
Adelaine closed her eyes for a moment.
That sentence hurt more than it should have.
Philip understood it too.
They weren't talking about war.
Not yet.
But they both knew that the balance that had held the kingdom together for so many years was beginning to crack.
Sophia gave a slight bow.
"I will leave tomorrow."
Philip nodded.
"I understand."
She turned toward the door.
"And, Sophia."
The duchess stopped.
Philip looked at her seriously.
"Take care of yourself."
Sophia turned her face slightly.
"I will."
A pause.
Philip smiled faintly.
Sophia left the room.
The doors closed behind her.
Adelaine remained silent for several seconds.
"Do you think we'll see her again soon?"
Philip looked toward the doors.
"I hope so."
"And if the Heralds truly want to change the kingdom?"
The king did not answer immediately.
He watched the city through the window.
The temples were illuminated.
Thousands of people were praying.
And above the rooftops, the banners of the crown continued to fly.
For now.
"Then we'll have to discover," he finally said, "what kind of kingdom they want to build."
He paused.
"And what price they're willing to pay to build it."
Adelaine looked at him.
Philip turned his gaze toward the doors through which Sophia had just left.
"Because there is one thing I know for certain."
"What?"
The old king smiled without humor.
"The gods didn't send heroes here to ask for our permission."
Silence once again filled the chamber.
Outside, the bells of the temples began to ring.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
And for the first time, Philip wondered whether the crown and the Douglases would still march beneath the same banner when this new era finally reached its true beginning.