The shadows lengthened in the grand throne room as the sun set, casting an incandescent light through the stained glass windows. The twilight seemed to press the air of the room, a dark foreboding floating among the assembled nobles. Damaris Zahad, the Negestat of Ayeros, sat enthroned at the center, a monument of cold majesty, her piercing eyes scrutinizing each face before her.
She had just concluded an audience, listening with a stern air to the daily grievances and court intrigues. Her hand closed around the silver scepter, a symbol of her undisputed authority. Beside her, Mervyln Zahad, her daughter, stood straight, her expression grave.
Almera, always shrouded in her icy calm, stepped forward, her smile as sharp as a hidden blade.
"Your Majesty," she said with a measured reverence, "I fear an urgent matter has arisen. An affair of great importance requiring your immediate judgment."
Damaris frowned, doubt briefly infiltrating her thoughts before being pushed aside. "Speak, Matron Almera. What is this issue that cannot wait?"
Almera gave a thin smile and gestured to a group of guards, who stepped forward with unusual assurance. "It seems, Your Majesty, that a conspiracy has been uncovered. A betrayal against you, fomented by members of your own court."
Murmurs rose among the nobles, worried glances exchanged as suspicion grew. Damaris straightened, her eyes hardening. "And who are the culprits of this infamy?"
"I fear the evidence points directly to you," said Almera, her soft voice cutting through the air like a dagger.
Before Damaris could react, the guards rushed at her, their weapons drawn. An icy silence fell over the room as the Negestat found herself disarmed, her scepter falling to the floor with a metallic echo.
"What is the meaning of this?" roared Damaris, trying to break free from the guards' grip. Her eyes desperately sought an ally among the familiar faces, but none moved.
Mervyln then stepped forward, sadness mixed with determination in her gaze. "Mother, I am sorry, but it is for the good of Ayeros. You no longer see clearly. Your reign of terror must end."
Shock registered on Damaris's face, quickly replaced by cold rage. "What nonsense are you spouting! Do you dare defy me, Mervyln?!"
A wave of scorching wind suddenly erupted around Damaris, throwing the guards away and breaking their formation. The Negestat straightened, her gaze blazing with fury. Mervyln, though heavy-hearted, raised her hand towards her mother, her resolve palpable.
"Mother," she said, her voice betraying contained emotion, "I do this for the good of Ayeros. Please accept your surrender."
"You insolent child!" roared Damaris.
The walls of the throne room shook with her anger, sowing panic among the nobles. Her imposing presence manifested with terrifying force. But suddenly, golden chains appeared as if by magic, wrapping around Damaris, immobilizing her destructive power. Her eyes fixed on her daughter, burning with rage.
"How dare you raise your hand against me, Mervyln!" she growled, her hair floating as if animated by a will of its own.
Despite the grip of the chains, Damaris straightened slightly, her aura resurging with palpable intensity. Mervyln stepped back, her face filled with terror. Her mother's power was overwhelming. But in Almera's gaze, she found a fragment of courage. Inspired, she strengthened her resolve.
Mervyln stood firm before her mother, extending both hands towards her. Countless golden chains sprang forth, wrapping more tightly around Damaris. The Negestat struggled, her cries of rage echoing in the room, but the chains held fast.
"Enough, Mother!" thundered Mervyln, her voice vibrant with emotion but unyielding. "Your reign must end. For the good of the kingdom."
With a gesture of sheer will, Damaris broke the golden chains that bound her. But immediately, others sprang up, tirelessly, binding the Negestat again. A roar of rage tore from her lips, and the throne room trembled with the power of her wrath. The nobles present, paralyzed by fear, dared not intervene, helpless witnesses to this titanic confrontation.
Each burst of golden light was a rebellion against Damaris's authority, and each roar of the Negestat shook the very foundations of the palace. Mervyln, her face marked by fierce determination, continued to summon the chains, her hands outstretched towards her mother.
"Ayeros has suffered enough under your rule!" Mervyln shouted, her voice carried by an almost supernatural force.
Damaris, her eyes blazing with anger, repelled another wave of chains, but they returned in ever greater numbers. The room seemed to become a celestial arena where two titanic forces clashed: Damaris Zahad, the indomitable Negestat, and Mervyln Zahad, the determined prodigy.
The throne room walls echoed under the assault of this duel, shards of stone breaking off under the pressure. The nobles, petrified, witnessed a battle worthy of legends.
"Mervyln," Damaris roared, her voice thundering like a storm, "you seem to forget who stands before you!"
But Mervyln, her eyes shining with unyielding resolve, continued to summon the golden chains. Her voice resonated through the hall, carried by unflinching courage. "This is not a matter of strength, mother. It is a matter of justice."
In a burst of pure rage, Damaris unleashed an even fiercer aura. The golden chains, so robust, disintegrated before they could reach her. She advanced slowly towards Mervyln, a storm of raw power crackling around her. Mervyln, though stunned, desperately tried to restrain her mother, but the difference in power was overwhelming.
What could a prodigy do against a goddess?
As Damaris advanced, her steps suddenly halted. An expression of surprise crossed her face as she began to cough up blood. She stared, incredulous, at the scarlet liquid on her hands. Mervyln, seeing this unexpected opportunity, did not hesitate. The golden chains sprang forth again, assaulting Damaris with renewed strength, wrapping around her weakened body. This time, they held firm, immobilizing her.
The Negestat, finally subdued, stared at her daughter with an intensity that promised retribution.
Damaris, overwhelmed by the sudden attack and the weakness overcoming her, staggered and collapsed. Her murderous aura vanished, and she seemed to faint, defeated by the combined power of the chains and her own exhaustion. The nobles, among them Almera, held their breath, observing this scene in heavy silence.
Mervyln, her face marked by exhaustion but illuminated with unyielding determination, stared at her mother. "I take the reins, mother," she murmured, more to herself than to the assembly.
The nobles, stunned, began to grasp the magnitude of what had just occurred. Mervyln turned to them. Despite the visible fatigue on her face, she stood tall.
Almera nodded, her smile now fully victorious. "Take her away. Let the justice of Ayeros be restored."
As Damaris Zahad, the feared Negestat, was dragged out of the throne room, the murmurs of the nobles turned into an uncertain hubbub. The unthinkable had happened.
Damaris Zahad had fallen.