Soft light from the chandelier bathed the chamber in a golden hue, casting flickering shadows along the polished obsidian floor. The battle had ended moments ago, and now silence reigned—tense, thoughtful silence.
Princess Merit sat upright in her carved chair, hands laced in her lap, her face unreadable. Beside her, Prince Menkara leaned one elbow on the windowsill, fingers tapping against his jaw in quiet contemplation. Their Shwt stood behind them, still as statues.
"So…" Menkara finally broke the silence, his voice low. "Second-Stage Domain."
He said it like a curse. A truth they hadn't wanted to accept—but had no choice but to face.
"He didn't just show control," Merit replied, her tone precise. "He commanded the battlefield. His Domain made the Earth bow to him."
"Like he was born inside the damn earth," Menkara muttered. "And here I thought his talent had a ceiling."
"It did," she said coolly. "We just misjudged the height."
Menkara snorted.
