“Again.” Ianthe’s voice echoed off the mirrored walls of the Moon Chamber—a secluded silver-lit training hall deep within the palace, used only for Lunaris rites and dangerous luminous work.
 Alessia gasped for breath. Her knees trembled, her fingers stung, and her lungs burned, but she lifted her hands again.
 Lux glowed in her right palm. Shadow curled in her left. A silver circle beneath her feet hummed with Lunaris energy, sending ripples of pressure up her legs.
 Seraphine sat cross-legged outside the circle with a towel over her head, whispering panicked prayers to every god she could name.
 Eryx leaned against a pillar, arms crossed, pretending not to look worried.
 Kael stood silently beside Alessia, close enough to catch her if she fell.
 Ariadne stood at the head of the chamber, her presence calm but commanding.
 “Alessia,” she said softly. “Again, blend.”
 Alessia forced air into her lungs. “Lux… and shadow… together.”
 Her wrists trembled. Kael stepped closer—not touching, but anchoring her with his presence.
 “You’re losing balance on your left,” he murmured.
 She adjusted. Ianthe circled her like a silver-eyed predator.
 “Too much Lux,” she said sharply. “Ravion will cut through light like silk.”
 Alessia gritted her teeth. “Too much shadow and the Lunaris Court will say I’m corrupted.”
 “Both,” Ianthe snapped. “You need both.”
 Ariadne stepped forward. “Alessia, listen.”
 The Empress’s voice was soft but firm. “You cannot win the Trial of Strength with Lux alone. And you cannot survive the Trial of Essence with shadow alone. You are not one or the other.”
 Her hand brushed Alessia’s chest—right over her heart.
 “You are the bridge.”
 Alessia’s throat tightened. She is the bridge between Lux and shadow between three empires, and between prophecy and choice.
 She didn’t ask for it—but it was hers. She closed her eyes and exhaled. Lux warmed her right side. Shadow cooled her left. She guided them inward, carefully and painfully.
 A burst of uncontrolled energy exploded outward, nearly knocking Eryx off his feet.
 Seraphine shrieked and covered her face. “I’m too young for explosions!”
 Kael barely moved. He raised one hand and absorbed the shockwave like it was nothing.
 Ianthe sighed. “Your focus slipped.”
 “I’m—trying!” Alessia gasped.
 “You’re thinking too much,” Kael said quietly.
 Alessia blinked at him. “Thinking?! I’m trying to keep my organs inside my body!”
 Kael stepped behind her, voice low. “Thinking is slowing you.”
 Ariadne nodded. “Your mind is torn between fear of too much power… and fear of too little.”
 “It’s true,” Seraphine said, peeking from under the towel. “You’re overthinking everything! Like your hair—lovely hair—but you always worry if it’s too much. Too much doesn’t exist.”
 Eryx groaned. “Seraphine, I swear—”
 Ianthe flicked her fingers. “Quiet, everyone.”
 Silence fell. Alessia looked at her hands that had light and shadow. Two halves of herself, two worlds, and two destinies.
 She whispered, barely breathing, “How do I make them obey me… at the same time?”
 Ianthe stepped closer, crouching until they were eye-level.
 “By deciding,” she said softly. “Not hoping, ot fearing but deciding.”
 Ariadne continued, “Your mother—Lady Keren—could not blend dual cores. She held them separately.”
 Alessia’s eyes widened. “She never merged them?”
 “No,” Ianthe said. “She feared losing control. You must do what she could not.”
 A pang of sorrow hit Alessia’s chest—but then pride bloomed too.
 She could go further than Keren. She could honor her. She straightened.
 “Okay,” she whispered. “Let’s try again.”
 Kael stepped back, eyes sharp. “This time, feel; don’t think.”
 Eryx muttered, “And don’t explode.”
 Seraphine squeaked, “Please don’t explode!”
 Alessia inhaled, deep and steady. Her Lux lifted and her shadow rose.
 She brought them toward her core—slowly—the air changed. The chamber lights blinked.
 Ariadne watched, breath held. Ianthe smiled faintly. Kael stepped even closer.
 The two energies touched and instead of clashing, they hesitated.
 Alessia muttered, “Come on, please…”
 The shadow coil wrapped around the Lux beam slowly—like two ribbons twisting.
 Her heartbeat thundered. Then, the silver glow formed. A sphere, small, stable, and perfect.
 Seraphine gasped. “She did it! Oh’ my stars!”
 Eryx’s jaw dropped. “She… she actually did it.”
 Ariadne’s eyes softened. “Beautiful.”
 Ianthe whispered, “This is the essence Lunaris feared.”
 Kael stepped forward, lowering his voice so only she could hear.
 “That’s it,” he breathed. “That’s your power.”
 Alessia stared at the sphere floating between her palms. It was warm and cold, light and dark, and alive. Hers.
 She smiled. For a moment, the world felt steady, and then the chamber shook. A tremor and a pulse. A heavy echo of booming energy.
 Ariadne’s head snapped up. “That’s not her,” she said sharply. “That’s outside.”
 Kael’s eyes hardened. “An intruder?”
 Eryx ran to the window slit. “No!” He froze.
 “Mother,” he whispered. “You need to see this.”
 Ariadne strode to him with Ianthe behind her.
 Alessia’s heart hammered. “What is it? Another assassin?”
 “No,” Eryx said. “Worse.”
 Alessia stepped closer and her breath left her lungs. Outside, across the solar horizon, three beams of light rose into the sky. One gold. One silver. One dark violet.
 A heralding and a declaration. The Three Empires had activated the Summoning Pyres.
 Seraphine nearly fainted. “W-What does that mean—”
 Ariadne inhaled sharply. “It means,” she said, voice quiet but trembling with tension, “the Conclave has officially begun.”
 Kael’s eyes narrowed behind the mask. “They’re calling her to the Three Thrones.”
 Ianthe added, “And they want her immediately.”
 Alessia stared at the beams, her fate painted across the sky.
 Fear gripped her—hard—but pride rose too.
 She whispered, barely audible, “I’m not ready.”
 Kael turned to her. “No one is ready for prophecy,” he said. “But you are further than any before you.”
 Ariadne stepped beside her like the daughter she is. Her voice was steady. Imperial. “You will face the Trial of Strength. The Trial of Essence. The Trial of Truth.”
 Eryx stood next to Alessia, eyes fierce. “And you won’t do it alone.”
 Seraphine grabbed Alessia’s hand. “We’re coming with you! Except into the trial field—because those are dangerous—but morally, spiritually, aesthetically, we’re absolutely there.”
 Alessia laughed weakly through fear. Ariadne lifted her chin. “Prepare yourselves,” she said. “The Conclave awaits.”
 Kael placed a hand lightly on Alessia’s shoulder. “Alessia.”
 She looked at him. “You will not bow,” he said softly. “Not to Ravion.”
 He stepped closer. “Not to the Moon King.” Closer still. “And not to fear.”
 Her heart skipped. She nodded slowly. “I’ll try.”
 Kael’s voice dropped. “You won’t try.” He held her gaze. “You’ll triumph.”
 A tremor ran through her. Not fear but power and determination.
 Ariadne turned from the window. “Pack only what you need. We leave at dawn.”
 Alessia stared at the glowing sky. Her next breath was steady. “I’m ready.”
 She didn’t know if it was true but she said it, and she believed it.