Cecile guided the four clan leaders through the winding halls of Empyrean until they reached the grand garden. The sun's fading light cast warm hues across the lush scenery, and at the center of it all stood Lyon, flanked by his elder brother, Simak, and their father, Aleysius. Lyon's smirk held a trace of satisfaction, a glint of victory in his eyes.
The sight of him, relaxed yet commanding, felt both familiar and foreign to the four. Just days ago, Lyon had been an adversary, a formidable force they thought they'd one day have to oppose. Now, standing before him as allies, the shift in perspective felt strangely humbling.
Lyon's gaze swept over each of them. "Atrum," he began, nodding to the patriarch and then to the others, "it's good to see you all standing here. By my side."
Atrum and the others straightened slightly, not out of formality but of something deeper—a connection to history itself.
