Valode Medu floated in a void that wasn't completely dark, nor blindingly white, but both. Above, the sky was screaming. It wasn't the wind; it was the atmosphere itself igniting.

The dream always started with the sound of tearing. Swirling winds under the fog of the ocean. Like listening to music from underwater. 

Val looked up. The twin suns of Rahmori, Kira and Talma, were there, locked in their eternal dance. But between them, something was wrong. A tear in the fabric of the sky. A third point of gravity. A shadow that was eating the light.

DONG.

A bell tolled. It wasn't a sound Val heard; it was a vibration that rattled their teeth.

DONG.

Below Val, the world was left to dust. Not the smooth, paved streets of Tsujan, but jagged, broken shards of obsidian. A battlefield.

"Hold the line!" a voice shouted. So desperate you could feel the fear within the air. 

"We can't!" another voice screamed back, a woman’s voice, wet with tears. "Li, we can't hold it!"

DONG.

The shadow in the sky expanded. The white light warped into the void, turning to ash. Val reached out, trying to grab the woman’s hand, but their fingers passed through smoke.

"Wake up," the shadow whispered. "They are coming."

Val gasped, their body jerking upright in their silk sheets.

"Time, 1 // 11, the top of the Ark(hour). Heart rate elevating. Cortisol spike detected. Documented and Logged for Kassaj(council) intervention."

The mechanical voice cut through the panic. Val blinked, the blinding white of the nightmare fading into the soft, artificial white and gold of the Royal Bedroom.

Standing at the foot of the bed was Prim, the Royal Observer. Its illuminated face was static, its eyes glowing with a soft scanning laser. It was a hologram being that could manipulate the physical world through light and minor mechanical parts—one of the creations that came from the union of Rhubiti and Tsujan.

"Another episode, Heir Valode?" Prim asked, its voice perfectly modulated to be soothing, which only made it more terrifying. "That is the third this week. The Kassaj suggests increasing the dosage of the Suppressants."

Val rubbed their face, their hands trembling. The sweat on their skin felt cold. "No. No more meds, Prim. They make my head feel like it’s stuffed with wool."

"The nightmares are a symptom of an unbalanced mind, Heir," Prim stated, stepping closer with a hypospray. "A chaotic mind cannot rule."

"And a drugged mind cannot think," Val snapped, sliding out of bed on the opposite side. "I said no."

Prim paused, its processors whirring. "Noted. I will include your refusal in the morning report to Vassan(Councilor) Vaelor."

Val froze. "Don't tell the Kassaj. Gwen will hear, and you know how she worries."

"Protocol dictates total transparency for the safety of the Heir," Prim droned. "Your parents request your presence in the Crucible of Will. Today is the Accord of Expansion. You are to lead."

Val sighed, looking out the window. The city of Tsujan was waking up. Val peered at the figure-8 clock on their nightstand; [ 01 // 01 ] Flare stared back at them. Val enjoyed waking up with Kira, bright and early at the top of the Ark like clockwork.

Val could hear the chirping alarm of the Solar Arrays, calling for them. 

"Don't forget to call to the Arrays," Val mimicked Prim as they instructed. As Prim exited, Val slumped into a white, fluffy armchair. 

"Why must this be my every day?" Val thought, staring out the window in to distance. 

CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP

The Solar Arrays continued to sing in the distance, an agonizing reminder of Val's duties. 

Val arose from their comfort and made their way past the chair towards their refreshment room. Val stood at a porcelain white sink looking back at their tired face. They turned the silver faucet, SQUEEK, the faucet sung back as the water began to pool into the bowl. Val took a yellow, golden bar of soap, imported from Mmirabe itself, yet every bar branded with the Tsujan colors.

CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP

The reminder sounded once more, annoyingly filling the air with it's barren music. Val ignored the alarm, even just for the moment, as they enjoyed their morning routine.

They washed the bar between their hands and the water, suds covering their hands. Val flicked the excess water from their hands, leaving a nice lather. They washed at their face, neck, and ears, cleaning away the sweat and dirt from the nights rest.

Val dried their face and began brushing their teeth. They reached into their pocket, fiddling for their sona(phone). As they brushed they scanned for any messages or notifications they'd missed.

"Huh... Jefue has officially joined the Light," Val began reading a news headline aloud. "After many failed attempts to unify the Fires, Jefue not only joined the Light, but also introduced their new Rulers." Val spat out the bubbles in their mouth and rinsed. They quickly glanced at the time. 01 // 27, less than 3 minutes before they needed to take their place.

They quickly began to scramble, cleaning the mess they'd made. They rushed to place their items back into their designated places with urgency. They rushing out of the refreshment room and into the closet, collecting their heavy, gold and white robes. They peeked their head from the closet, finding the time. 01 // 29. They quickly collected their veil, a specialized gold and white hood with their initials, and rushed out. 

Val stepped onto the balcony, rushing to throw their attire on just in time. Val stared at the beautiful sun, Kira kissing Val's skin as it rose from the west. Kira was the only part of this that Val enjoyed. "By Light and Shade I call to thee. From Fire within that fuels me. From within I ask and plea, oh Kira, oh Kira, please shine down onto me!" Val chanted with such annoyance, every syllable heavy and dragged out, exaggerated. 

Every morning, Val was instructed to complete the Ritual of Light, to ready the Solar Arrays in Tsujan. Val hated it. Val hated the lessons in Fire, not because of the Fires themselves, but because Val found it impossible to connect the way they said they should. The words left Val’s lips, not like a prayer, but like a command code.

Click. Whirrrrr.

Below the balcony, the reaction was instantaneous and mechanical. Thousands of obsidian panels comprising the Solar Grid shifted in unison, angling precisely twenty degrees West to catch the first rays of Kira. It didn't look like a flower opening to the sun; it looked like a weapon locking onto a target.

"Optimization achieved," a drone chirped, hovering near Val's face. "Grid output increased by 4%."

Val leaned against the marble railing, looking down at the capital. From this height, Tsujan looked perfect. The white stone buildings gleamed. The streets were laid out in symmetrical, golden ratios. But Val didn't feel the warmth of the sun; they felt the heat of the machinery.

The air didn't smell like morning dew. It smelled of ozone, burnt sugar, and the chemical tang of the industrial cleansers used to scrub the streets before dawn. Even the birds singing in the palace gardens were suspicious—perfectly rhythmic, their intervals too exact. Val watched a 'sparrow' land on a branch, its eyes flashing with a faint red pulse as it uploaded data to the central server.

Nothing here is real, Val thought, a heavy stone of dread settling in their stomach. It’s just a stage. And I’m late for the second act.

Val turned, their heavy robes sweeping across the floor, and headed for the door.

The walk to the Crucible of Will was a gauntlet of silence.

The corridors of the Palace were wide, lined with statues of past "Heroes of the Light", Ide who had conquered the dark lands of Jefue or drained the swamps of Mmirabe. Val walked quickly, their footsteps echoing on the polished glass floor.

Servants moved along the edges of the hallway like ghosts. They wore grey, featureless tunics that blended into the walls. As Val passed, they didn't bow; they froze. They turned their faces to the wall, making themselves invisible.

But Val heard them.

Hmmmm.

It was a low, vibrating sound. At first, Val thought it was the ventilation system. But as they passed a group of servants scrubbing a smudge from the gold trim, the sound pitched up. It wasn't a machine. It was a hum. A collective, quiet dissonance coming from the throats of the workers.

Val paused, glancing at an older servant woman. She stopped scrubbing. The humming stopped instantly. She didn't look at Val. She looked at the camera lens embedded in the eye of the statue above them.

They aren't afraid of me, Val realized with a jolt. They are afraid of being seen with me.

Val hurried on, the "hum" lingering in their ears like a ghost story.

At the end of the Hall of Radiance stood the massive, double doors of the Crucible. They were two stories tall, carved from solid gold, depicting the Twin Suns burning away the "Shadows of the Past."

Waiting in the shadow of the doorframe was Selon.

The King Consort looked older today. The gold of his crown seemed to weigh down his head, pulling his neck into a permanent stoop. He was reading a sona-slate, his brow furrowed in stress.

"Selu(providing parent)," Val whispered, slowing down.

Selon looked up. For a split second, the mask slipped. His eyes weren't the hard, commanding eyes of the King; they were the terrified eyes of a Selu. He scanned Val’s face, looking for bruises, for signs of the nightmare, for cracks.

"You're late," Selon whispered, but his voice was trembling. He reached out, his hands fluttering nervously as he straightened Val’s collar. "Your sash is crooked. If Vaelor sees you disheveled, he will think you are unstable."

"I had a bad night," Val muttered, letting their selu fuss over the fabric. "The dream... it was the tearing sound again."

Selon’s hands froze on Val’s shoulder. He gripped hard, his knuckles turning white.

"Don't," Selon hissed, leaning in close. He smelled of expensive cologne and fear. "Do not speak of tearing. Do not speak of the shadows. Not in there."

He looked at the camera above the door, then back at Val.

"Today is dangerous, Valode. Zhajul is looking for a reason to purge the archives again. If you falter, if you glitch... I cannot protect you."

"I won't glitch," Val lied, forcing their breathing to slow.

"Good," Selon breathed. He patted Val’s cheek—a touch that was half-caress, half-warning.

Then, footsteps echoed down the hall. Two High Guards turned the corner.

In an instant, Selon vanished.

He stood up straight. His face smoothed into a mask of cold, imperious boredom. The loving father was gone; the King Consort remained.

"Posture, Heir," Selon commanded loudly, his voice ringing off the walls. "The Council waits for no one."

Val straightened their spine, locking their knees to stop them from shaking. They pulled their own mask into place—the serene, golden face of the Harmonic Heir.

"I am ready, King Consort," Val said, their voice hollow.

Selon nodded to the guards.

"Open the doors."

The massive golden slabs groaned inward. A blast of cold, recycled air hit Val’s face, carrying the scent of old parchment and raw electricity. Beyond the threshold, the Crucible waited—a room designed to strip the soul bare.

Val took a breath, held it, and stepped into the light.