Chapter 125: Demanding to See Him
The Elite Academy’s council chamber filled fast the following morning, noble representatives arriving in a steady stream, voices already sharp with impatience before the session had even formally begun.
"this has gone on long enough," Lord Ashwynne said, settling into his seat with visible irritation. "weeks of chaos, dozens of Sentinels lost, half the Empire’s resources diverted searching for one Guide, and now word reaches us that he’s not only alive, but conveniently recovering somewhere out of public reach. we demand to see him. properly. with our own eyes."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the assembled council, several nobles nodding firmly along with the sentiment.
"the Emperor has been unusually protective of the details surrounding this entire situation," Lady Ferrow added, voice cool and pointed. "we’ve received secondhand accounts, rumors, half-explained justifications. but nothing concrete. nothing that actually confirms this Guide is worth everything the Empire has sacrificed on his behalf."
"the losses alone demand a proper accounting," another lord said, tapping his fingers sharply against the polished table. "I lost two nephews in that capital assault. good Sentinels, promising careers, gone in a single night, all because this Empire chose to prioritize searching for one man over adequately defending its own walls. I want to look him in the eye and understand exactly what could possibly justify that cost."
The chancellor, presiding over the assembled council with careful, practiced neutrality, raised a hand for order. "the council’s concerns are noted," he said. "and not without merit. however, I remind everyone present that Guide Valerian himself only recently regained consciousness after a six-week coma. demanding his immediate presence before this body may not currently be—"
"we’re not demanding immediate," Lord Ashwynne cut in sharply. "we’re demanding a firm date. a commitment. this council has waited patiently enough already, extending every courtesy while the Empire’s resources burned chasing after one man. we deserve, at minimum, a clear timeline for when we can expect proper answers."
The chancellor’s jaw tightened slightly, though he inclined his head in careful acknowledgment. "a fair request," he said. "I will relay it to the Emperor directly."
"see that you do," Lady Ferrow said, something cool and satisfied settling behind her composed expression. "because if this council doesn’t receive proper answers soon, we may find ourselves forced to draw our own conclusions about exactly why the Empire seems so reluctant to let anyone actually see him."
Mika sat near the back of the assembled council chamber, watching the exchange unfold with careful, calculating attention, something complicated twisting behind his composed expression. Weeks ago, this exact demand would have filled him with satisfaction, vindication finally arriving after everything he’d spent so long carefully cultivating. Now, it simply sat uncomfortable and hollow in his chest.
He thought of Dan’s exhausted, disappointed face the night of the capital’s assault. Thought of the news that had reached him since — Julian, awake, recovering, apparently having single-handedly held an entire defensive line while Mika himself slept comfortably through the entire crisis.
He didn’t voice any of that discomfort aloud, simply watching the council’s mounting pressure build with careful, uncertain silence, uncertain now exactly where his own carefully constructed campaign actually stood, or whether he even wanted it to succeed the way he once had.
"the losses this council has suffered are real," the chancellor said, addressing the room with careful, measured authority once the initial wave of demands had settled. "and deserve proper acknowledgment. I will ensure the Emperor understands the weight of this council’s patience running thin. but I would also remind everyone present that Guide Valerian’s actions during the assault itself have been independently corroborated by Commander Calloway, Prince Jayden, and multiple Sentinels present at the eastern breach. he did not simply survive this crisis. by every available account, he was instrumental in ensuring the capital didn’t fall entirely."
"instrumental," Lord Ashwynne repeated, something skeptical cutting through his tone. "so we’re told. secondhand, again, without the chance to properly verify any of it ourselves."
"then let him verify it himself," a new voice cut in, sharp and unexpected.
Every head in the chamber turned toward the doorway, where Reid stood, travel-worn but composed, having clearly arrived partway through the session without formal announcement.
"Commander Calloway," the chancellor said, surprise flickering across his expression. "this is a closed council session—"
"which concerns Julian directly," Reid said, stepping fully into the chamber, voice carrying clear and firm across the assembled nobles. "so I imagine he’d want to know it’s happening."
"and where is he now," Lady Ferrow asked, something pointed in the question.
"recovering," Reid said simply. "as he has every right to do, after six weeks unconscious and months of captivity before that." He paused, studying the assembled council with careful, measured attention. "but I understand this council’s frustration. losses were real. resources were spent. I don’t dispute either of those facts, and neither does Julian."
Something shifted slightly through the chamber at that, several nobles exchanging surprised glances at the direct acknowledgment.
"so I’ll relay your request," Reid continued. "properly, this time, rather than leaving it to rumor and secondhand accounts. Julian will appear before this council. once he’s ready, and not a moment before that, because I refuse to let this Empire demand more from him than it already has, before he’s even fully recovered from what it cost him the first time."
The chamber fell into uneasy quiet, the chancellor studying Reid with careful, considering attention.
"a reasonable compromise," the chancellor said finally, glancing toward the assembled council. "I trust this satisfies the concerns raised today."
Most of the council nodded, some reluctant, some genuinely appeased, though Lord Ashwynne’s expression remained skeptical, and Lady Ferrow’s composed features gave little away at all.
Mika remained silent throughout the exchange, watching Reid’s firm, unwavering defense of Julian with something heavy and uncomfortable settling behind his own composed expression, the weight of his own campaign, and everything it had cost him in Dan’s trust, sitting far less satisfying now than it had weeks earlier when he’d first begun constructing it.
The session dissolved slowly afterward, nobles filing out in scattered clusters, murmuring among themselves about the exchange, and Mika lingered a moment longer in his seat, staring at nothing, turning over the uncomfortable, unresolved question of exactly what he actually wanted from all of this anymore.