"Fool girl!" Sun Lord Dageal shouted, his faceless roar reverberating through the void.
Raine woke with a scream — not of terror, but of stubborn, burning resolve. She didn't notice she had thrown herself from the bed and landed on the floor, her fist crackling with electricity, her body already locked in a battle stance.
Only then did the room register. She was in her bedroom — at the very heart of the Sun Empire, in Never Night.
Through the window poured the unblinking light of the twin suns that never set — constant reminders to the people that the Light did not rest, always ready to stand against the darkness from the far north.
And then the memory hit like a physical blow.
She had failed. Her sworn duty to protect had cost the lives of the Sun Battalion — and of Sun Lord Dageal.
Unbidden, her hands raked through her hair as if she could tear the images from her mind. So many dead. Reeling, she staggered to her study table and fell into the chair.
"You are the fool, Sun Lord," she whispered, bitter as ash. If he had only focused on aiding the refugees while she bought them time. If he had used his power and his command to protect them… they would have saved more. Instead — she shivered at the memory. "You are the fool, Sun Lord!" she hissed.
A knock at the door snapped her from the spiral. "Come in," she said.
The door opened and a young girl bowed low. "Lady Raine, I'm glad you have recovered. I heard noise and came to check. How are you feeling, my lady? Shall I bring food?"
The mention of food coaxed a thin smile. Her stomach answered the summons. "Yes. Bring something, please. How are the survivors? How many of the Golden Battalion remain?"
The servant faltered, forcing a polite smile. "They are being held in the dungeons, my lady. Eighty-eight knights survived. They tried to see you, but Sun Lord Thresh turned them away. They left a message: they and knights from other battalions will answer your call and follow you, my lady."
A new pain flared in her temples. So the factions were already moving against her — that was what the message meant.
"Thank you, Noru. Don't worry. I'll handle it." Noru bowed and left to fetch food.
Raine stepped out onto the veranda. From one of the empire's tallest spires she could see the city spread like a living circuit of light, the Emperor's castle glaring back from the opposite end. Two towers in perpetual opposition. Politics. She hated politics.
"I hear you are finally awake, Sun Maiden." Sun Lord Thresh entered without preamble and joined her at the rail. "The Sun Court has been waiting. They are eager to hear what happened."
She kept her gaze on the eternal light below. "Do not mistake my failure for weakness, Sun Lord. I can take any of you in a duel." Her voice was low and dangerous.
Thresh mirrored her stance. "Still prickly. Too grumpy for diplomacy, Raine."
"The Emperor is being assailed in the Senate," he pressed. "The Sun Lords gather to strip you of command. You must reason with them. Tell us what happened. Why — how did Sun Lord Dageal die?"
At last she faced him. "Is that all you care about? Is that all the Sun Lords care about — why one of your best died?" Her eyes blazed. "He died by destroying a whole world, Thresh! He slaughtered every soul in that realm — the same refugees you now hold in your dungeons."
For the first time Thresh saw her break. Tears spilled down her cheeks and she sobbed into his shoulder when he reached for her.
Thresh had always supported her, quietly, from within the Sun Court. The Sun Maiden was the Empire's mightiest champion — their shield and blade against the Darkness. That was why the other Sun Lords feared her; they wanted her chained, a weapon bound to their commands.
But a titan cannot be leashed. If she so wished, she could overthrow the Emperor herself, and not even the strongest Sun Lord could stop her. Thresh knew this for a fact — for he was the strongest among them.
"You will always have my support, Raine," he murmured. "The Emperor and I will not allow them to strip you of command." His hand moved of its own accord and brushed her golden hair.
He guided her to a chair on the veranda and sat opposite, fighting to hide what he felt. "Tell me, Raine. Why did Dageal commit such an abomination?"
"It doesn't matter," she said, voice hollow, eyes distant. "Let them take command of the Sun Portal. Let them face that faceless monster themselves."
Silence fell between them. Raine looked up, meeting his face. "Did you hear me?" she asked.
It took a long moment before Thresh answered. "You… you fought a faceless?"
"It cannot be killed," she said, the fatigue audible. "I tried. I burned my life force. All I could do was delay it."
Thresh stood abruptly and paced the veranda. "You must tell no one. Thank the sun the refugees are confined, and that the surviving battalion is quarantined. From this moment, I will take command of the Sun Portal — and bar anyone from ever using it again."
"You will release them," Raine demanded, anger heating her tone. "Free the refugees and the knights of the Golden Battalion."
"Yes — of course," Thresh said quickly. "But they cannot be allowed to spread rumors. I will speak with the Emperor. I promise you, Sun Maiden. Trust me. Do not provoke the Sun Lords. Let me and the Emperor handle this." He knelt and took her hands.
Her voice dropped to a whisper. "What is a faceless that can frighten even you?"
Thresh's face darkened. "An ancient thing — a herald of an older foe. If it steps into our world, it will mean the end."