Sylens, restrained under heavy guard and scrutinized from every angle, was escorted into the palace meeting room. Once we were seated, I raised a hand and dismissed the guards. The doors sealed shut behind them, leaving only the two of us.
"How long have you been in our capital?" I asked, calmly pouring water into a glass.
"Not long," Sylens replied. "Two days, perhaps. Impressive buildings... for the Nora savages, I must say."
I paused mid-pour.
With Sylens, it was always difficult to tell where insult ended and admiration began.
Before I could press him further, the doors opened again. My council entered as one, Rhea, our Spymaster. Orlok, General of our armed forces, and finally my wife, Albedo, Prime Minister of the Phoenix Kingdom. Her steps were measured, one hand resting unconsciously on her very round belly. Though we spoke almost daily through our Focus devices, seeing her in person grounded me in a way no technology ever could.
"You are mistaken." Albedo said once we were all seated.
"We are not Nora, Banuk, Oseram, or Utaru," she continued. "We are citizens of the Phoenix Kingdom."
Sylens leaned back slightly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Yes, yes. Very impressive. But let us dispense with formalities. What do you actually want from me?"
"First, I need an answer." I said evenly. "Did you come here on your own? Or were you sent by the Shadow Carja? Or perhaps by HADES himself?"
The effect was immediate.
Sylens straightened, tension snapping through him like a drawn wire. His hand slid inside his vest, fingers brushing something certainly dangerous and profoundly out of place in this world.
"You seem to know quite a lot," he said slowly. "My name. My capabilities. And now those names. How? Do you work for that thing?"
I laughed, genuinely amused.
"No." I replied. "Quite the opposite. I am a builder, not a destroyer. I am the king of the probably the most advanced civilization on this planet and the mortal enemy of HADES. But you still haven't answered my question."
For a moment, Sylens said nothing. His gaze swept the room, every member of my council wore a Focus. Slowly, realization settled in.
"Very well." he said at last. "I came alone. But information has value, King Noir. I possess knowledge that could save you years, perhaps decades. What, exactly, do you offer in exchange?"
"Do not overestimate your leverage." Rhea interjected smoothly. "We already know about HADES, the Shadow Carja, their leadership, their strongholds, and their objectives. We even know about you."
Sylens turned to her, wearing that infuriatingly smug expression that made Orlok's knuckles tighten audibly.
"But partners share, do they not?" Sylens said. "Your king promised me knowledge."
"He did." I agreed. "And I keep my word. CYAN, please join us."
"Hello, King Noir." came a calm female voice from the table speakers. "Do you require assistance?"
A blue hologram materialized in the center of the table: a refined cylindrical construct, elegant and unmistakably artificial. Sylens froze, eyes widening despite himself.
"Another one…" he murmured.
"CYAN is nothing like HADES." I said firmly. "She is a preserver, not a reaper. An AI that prevented a continental catastrophe. Without her, the Frozen Wilds, and much more would be gone."
"No thanks are required." CYAN added politely. "That is the purpose for which I was created."
Sylens' envy was no longer subtle. "So you found a machine to build your kingdom for you. That explains a great deal."
"Incorrect." Albedo said, smiling faintly. "CYAN is a teacher and an ally, but she did not create this kingdom. My husband did, we all did our part."
"My primary function remains the stabilization of the Yellowstone Caldera." CYAN said. "However, after centuries of autonomous improvement, and the help of King Noir I am now capable of providing auxiliary support in secondary domains."
"You are being excessively modest." I replied. "Educating our people, advancing our systems, studying Hephaestus's machines and cauldrons, and preventing mass extinction events are hardly secondary."
Sylens exhaled slowly, rubbing his chin.
"This changes things." he admitted. "You are not scavengers playing with relics. You are… something new."
"That is why you are here, in this room." I said. "You will help us destroy HADES, completely. In return, you will gain access to knowledge no one else on this planet possesses. Controlled access."
His eyes sharpened. "And if I refuse?"
Orlok leaned forward. "Then you leave this city probably alive, but ignorant. And the next time we meet, it will be on a battlefield where ignorance is fatal."
Silence followed.
Finally, Sylens smiled, slow, calculating, and dangerous.
"Very well, King Noir," he said. "Let us be partners… for now."
Aloy POV
Tomorrow is the Proving.
I've trained for this my entire life, or at least for as long as I can remember. Noir and Albedo never really explained why it mattered so much that I win. Just that I had to. That it was the only way.
Only way for what, exactly?
I scowl and kick a loose stone down the path, watching it bounce once, twice, before disappearing into the snow.
"They're being ridiculous." I mutter to myself. "All mysterious looks and half-answers, like I'm supposed to suddenly understand everything."
They'd been especially evasive lately. Noir would smile and change the subject. Albedo would pat my virtual shoulder and say, You'll understand soon, in that calm, reassuring way that somehow made it worse. And CYAN, the CYAN, who usually explained everything down to the smallest detail, had been completely unavailable.
Blocked. From an AI.
I sigh loudly.
I stop walking and jab my spear into the snow, leaning on it as I stare out over the Embrace. Fires glow faintly in the distance, and I can already hear voices carrying on the wind, Nora arguing, gossiping, worrying. Probably about the Proving. Probably about me.
"What's so important about tomorrow anyway?" I ask the empty air. "It's just running, climbing, shooting, and not dying horribly. I do that all the time."
The wind whistles in response, unimpressed.
I rub my temples and pace a few steps, boots crunching. I hate not knowing things. It's worse than the cold. Worse than the stares.
If this Proving is so important, why won't they just tell me?
Unless…
I narrow my eyes.
Unless they think I'll mess it up if I know.
"Wow. Thanks for the confidence." I mutter. "Really inspiring."
I activate my Focus out of habit, watching the familiar blue lines and markers snap into place. Paths, distances, machine tracks, clean, honest information. The kind that actually makes sense.
"At least you don't lie to me," I say quietly.
The Focus, unsurprisingly, offers no opinion.
I exhale, steadying myself. Whatever Noir and Albedo are planning, whatever secret they think they're protecting me from, it won't matter if I lose tomorrow. No victory means no answers. No place among them. No chance to prove I belong anywhere at all.
I straighten, tightening my grip on the spear.
"Fine." I say. "Be mysterious. Keep your secrets."
A small, determined smile creeps onto my face.
"I'll win anyway."
And then they'll have to explain everything.