[POV: Sofia Lanka]

"You want my blood, Valerius? Then take it. But stop the satellites. If the Glass City burns, there is no throne for me to inherit, and there is no vessel for you to hide in. Look at me. I’m standing here, aren't I? The Usurper has come home to roost. Lower the dampening field and let the ritual begin."

Sofia’s voice rang through the Solarium, steady and resonant, masking the frantic thrum of her heart. She stood before the withered King, her hands open at her sides in a gesture of false surrender. The air was thick with the scent of ozone and the rhythmic, wet thumping...