The Grand Imperial Hall of the Sunless Throne was bathed in a glowing opulence.
Black iron suspended the silver chains that dripped with burning lanterns, casting an amber glow over hundreds of assembled high nobles, border commanders, and high-ranking court ministers. The banquet was held in celebration of the successful purging of the Void-Stalkers—the ancient, face-stealing beasts whose seals had fractured along the eastern and southern borders. Thanks to Kizari's tactical brilliance, the valley basin had been sealed with spiritual-resonance wards, flooded with illusion-breaking smoke, and reduced to ash by the southern archers. The trade routes were liberated, the border outposts secured, and the realm stood once more in awe of its sovereign rulers.
At the far end of the hall, raised upon a grand dais of black marble, sat the royal thrones.
