The throne hall had never been this silent.
Elara's victory against the Void earlier that night had spread like wildfire through the demon realm. News reached every lord and general: the human queen had fought the Void and won. The city had survived, and the citizens were alive—and awe-struck.
Yet reverence and fear were not the same thing. The court was divided.
Varyx, pale with fury, paced at the edge of the hall. His followers whispered urgently, eyes darting between him and the queen. Some lords knelt instinctively before Elara, golden light still faintly radiating from her. Others hung back, watching, uncertain where to place their allegiance.
Kaelthar's shadow coiled protectively around her, silent and absolute.
"Your victory has unsettled them," he murmured, brushing her hair from her face. "But it has also made them respect you—or fear you."
Elara's fingers tightened around his. "I want respect, not fear."
Kaelthar's gaze darkened, intense. "Sometimes, fear is the only way to survive until respect catches up."
The first voice of dissent rose sharply. "She is human!" one lord shouted. "How can we follow a creature who has never walked among us?"
Elara stepped forward, golden threads coiling subtly around her hands. "Because I protect this realm. Not because I am a demon, but because I choose to fight for it."
A ripple of whispers ran through the room. Kaelthar's hand rested on the small of her back—a silent promise of support.
Another lord, older, wise, but cautious, stepped forward. "She wielded the Void and survived. That is no small feat. Perhaps… we misjudged her."
Varyx's face twisted. "It is a trick! She commands only with borrowed light, and the Void will return stronger!"
Elara's gaze met his, unwavering. "Then we will meet it stronger still. And you—" she lifted her hand, golden threads forming faint patterns around her fingertips, "will remember this day as the one you chose to serve, or the day you fell against your queen."
The court trembled in silence. Even Varyx faltered, his anger clashing with a newly sparked respect—or fear.
Kaelthar stepped closer, brushing his lips to her temple. "You have their attention. Now you must hold it."
She leaned slightly into him, heart pounding, golden light mingling with the shadows around him. "We hold it together," she whispered.
The murmurs resumed, more cautious now, some voices pledging allegiance, others simmering in resentment.
Outside, the sky had calmed slightly, but the void lingered, watching, calculating. It knew the queen's power had grown—but so had her bond with the king. And the first hints of a larger plan shimmered through the darkness.
Kaelthar's fingers tightened around hers. "This is only the beginning," he murmured. "Politics, war, the Void—they all move against you. Against us. Are you ready?"
Elara's golden eyes met his. "I was born ready. With you."
He smiled faintly, brushing his thumb across her cheek. "Then let the game begin."
The court, divided but alive, watched. And for the first time, the realm understood one undeniable truth: Elara, the human queen, was not just a survivor—she was a force that would change the fate of all demons, gods, and Void alike.