The sight of the two elite guards pinned to the crystal floor, their heavy black-iron
armor groaning under an invisible mountain, should have ended the argument. But in
the world of high politics and desperate pride, logic is often the first thing to drown.
The Duke of the Sapphire Coast backed away, his face a pale shade of grey, but he
looked toward the High Priest, his eyes searching for a lifeline.
"A trick!" one of the Lords of the Trench shouted, though he stayed firmly in his seat.
"A hidden artifact! He must be using a gravitational relic from the Northern ruins. No
boy—even a 'reborn' one—could possess such weight without a drop of spiritual
aura!"The Duke found his voice again, his greed for the marriage alliance outweighing his
survival instinct. "Exactly! Look at him! He's breathing hard, I bet! He's using some
northern toy to mimic the Emperor's signature move. It's a parlor trick designed to
scare us into submission so he can infiltrate our bloodline!"
Jee-shahn stared at the Duke, his mouth slightly open in disbelief. He wasn't
breathing hard; he was actually struggling to stay awake because the Duke's voice
was so monotonous. "You think... I brought a 'toy' across half a continent... just to
impress a man who wears fishnets?" Jee-shahn rubbed his temples. "The logic in this
room is more pancaked than that hawk."
The High Priest finally stood, his presence cutting through the bickering like a cold
blade. He looked at his guards on the floor, then at Jee-shahn. "Enough of this.
Whether he is a traveler with a relic or the Monster of the North, he has humiliated my
house's guests. In the Aurex Empire, titles are not spoken—they are proven through
the Trial of the Deep Current."
Jasmine gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Father, no! Not the Current! He's on...
he's just a traveler!"
"If he is the Emperor, the Current will bow to him," the High Priest said coldly. "If he is
an imposter with a stolen name and a northern toy, the pressure of the mountain's
heart will crush him and his 'relic' into salt. Tomorrow, at the festival's opening, he will
stand in the Sacred Vortex. If he survives, he is your groom. If not... the Duke's son
will take his place."
The Duke smirked, feeling safe again. No "relic" could withstand the raw, elemental
pressure of Suiseiryu's domain. It was the ultimate lie detector.
Jee-shahn let out a long, sufering moan, sliding back into his seat and reaching for a
pear. "A vortex? Is there water involved? Because I really didn't want to get these
robes wet. They're actually growing on me." He looked at the High Priest with a look
of pure, lazy pity. "You people are so obsessed with 'proof.' You're going to be very
disappointed when you realize that my 'proof' usually involves everyone having to
buy a new palace because the old one is gone