Serena led him through the gallery with barely restrained excitement, her grip firm around his hand as though she feared he might slip away, being drawn by another treasure or artifact before she could reveal the discovery she had found.
The chamber opened wider the farther they went.
Here, the ceiling rose higher, supported by graceful arches carved with motifs of laurel, sunbursts, and eagles frozen mid-flight.
Crystal veins in the stone walls glowed brighter in this space, bathing everything in a soft, reverent light that felt closer to a temple than a vault.
Paintings lined the walls in deliberate sequence.
Not random collections, but a narrative.
Early works showed conquest—armies crossing rivers, banners raised over burning cities, emperors crowned by victory rather than consent.
Later pieces softened: lawgiving scenes, the founding of institutions, depictions of peace enforced and then maintained.
Serena barely glanced at them now.
Her focus was fixed straight ahead.
