Chapter 53: The Ember Ward
The Hollow Spire glowed gently in the ash-dusted dusk.
Silver lines pulsed along its surface, as though it were breathing—alive not with magic, but with memory. The marrow-bound book remained on the cracked throne, quiet for now. But it had stirred something older than any throne.
And the Council felt it.
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Meanwhile: Deep Beneath the Capital
A quiet room of stone and metal. No windows. No time.
A man in a crimson coat stood before a wall of fire-lit glass. His eyes were covered with a dark band of cloth, yet he saw more than most.
"Begin the burn."
Council envoys behind him knelt. "The Ember Ward has been prepared, Lord Myrek."
He nodded slowly. "Then light the path. And send the Suppressor."
They bowed lower.