The lights of the arena hit harder than thunder. The crowd was still buzzing from Clara's golden gown and from the chaos Kuina had left behind earlier. The announcer tried to calm them but his voice was swallowed by thousands of screams.
Piper froze mid-step. She had just entered the runway, hips swinging, black lipstick shining, her green hair bouncing like electric vines. She stopped cold. Her eyes went wide. She rubbed them once, twice, even slapped her cheek.
"What the fuck… am I seeing things?" she muttered.
High above the crowd, in the shadows behind Ortus's throne, a woman sat draped in flowers. She was glowing softly, a halo of petals around her shoulders, a smile so calm it felt like it had been waiting a thousand years.
Piper whispered to herself. "No way… Grandma? Lysia?"
She stood frozen and the audience started to murmur. The announcer leaned forward, sweating, not sure if this was part of the show.
