Luna did not want to take her seat beside her mother just yet, so she stood with her siblings, awaiting Lord Whiterock's arrival in the throne room. She blended into the group as best she could, making herself smaller. It was difficult; her silver hair betrayed her no matter what she tried.
It did not matter. Everyone's attention was fixed on her father.
She watched with interest as the other royal families greeted him.
Fifteen delegation leaders rose from their seats and approached him with measured respect.
There was no reverence in the gesture, no petty flattery or small talk designed to earn favor. They were respectful to the Lord whose domain they had entered as guests. Beyond that, they were equals, or at least the houses they represented were. Even the lowest-ranked among the Fifteen Great Houses could not appear meek.
Luna rolled her eyes at the grandstanding of the lords apparent of the Empire and allowed her gaze to wander.
Most of the gathered nobles were transfixed by the meeting of the Houses.
That was when she saw Anotella.
Anotella was a serving girl who had attended Luna on occasion. She was now bowing at an awkward angle before a group of young nobles.
The person standing directly in front of her was Horus Arasaka, along with several others, whom Luna did not recognize.
Luna almost looked away.
Displays of petty dominance were common enough among young nobles. Disgusting, but familiar.
Then Anotella jerked forward again, as if pulled by an invisible force.
'That was strange.'
Luna moved closer.
Anotella's face came into view, pale and contorted with pain and fear. Her clothing rippled strangely, as though unseen hands were crushing several parts of her body at once.
Luna reached a grim realization.
These were the powers granted to those blessed by the Living Flame.
Anotella endured the assault silently, as she had been trained to do. She would not dishonor House Whiterock.
Her jaw was clenched so tightly that the tendons in her neck stood out. Her breath came in shallow, silent shudders through her nose.
Bile rose at the back of Luna's throat.
The group surrounding Horus laughed silently in amusement.
Anotella's wandering eyes found Luna's. Tears filled them, but they carried relief. Hope.
It was the same expression Luna had seen many times during her excursions into the city and outer settlements with Avraham. Luna needed to be cautious. A commotion would not help Anotella.
She activated her HPC.
"Avraham, right side of the hall. A serving girl and some people my age. I need you to stop whatever they are doing."
"I am watching them. That is House Arasaka's youngest son. My intervention may carry severe consequences for both the girl and myself… I am yours to command. Give the order, and I will see it through."
Luna thought for only a moment.
"No. I will handle it. Prepare to take her away once I intervene."
"The boy has power. Be careful," Avraham cautioned.
Luna did not need the reminder.
She remained powerless in a universe that measured worth by supernatural strength granted through the Living Flame and one's affinity to it.
She possessed none. Still, this was her home. Who would dare use it against her?
She moved through the gathered nobles, breaking some of their focused gazes away from her father. Some of them even stayed with her after she passed.
Horus noticed her approach and turned, maintaining the invisible restraint placed upon Anotella as he executed a deep bow.
"The Silver Princess," he said warmly. "We are honored."
Horus's smile was not mocking. If anything, it carried satisfaction, as though Luna's arrival elevated the moment rather than threatened it.
"Honored?" Luna replied evenly. "Then you will do me the courtesy of releasing my servant."
"Anything for you, Miss Luna. But this wench ruined my shoes by spilling wine on them. Such a servant brings dishonor to your house. Do not worry. I shall punish her in your stead."
"The dishonor is yours, Horus. Our servants are not poorly trained. Only common brutes mistake cruelty for strength or honor. I must insist that you leave her alone and end this pathetic display immediately."
Horus's smile faded.
His expression grew serious, and his companions fell into quiet, uneasy murmuring.
"You still play the role?" he asked quietly. "Are there cameras here? Shall I strike a pose?"
"I do not know what you are talking about," Luna said. "And I am out of patience."
Horus exhaled sharply.
"Heir of Whiterock, you are pathetic," Horus hissed. "Fine. Take her away… or what remains of her."
A terrible premonition struck Luna.
Anotella's arm twisted too far, too fast, bending at an unnatural angle that turned Luna's stomach.
Anotella's eyes widened. She tried to scream, but an invisible pressure clamped her jaw shut.
Horus turned away as if bored.
"Ah," he said casually, "she would have embarrassed us with that scream. Your claims of proper training were false."
Luna stepped forward and slapped him across the face.
The crack echoed through the throne room like a whip strike. Horus blinked once in shock. Then he swung at her.
Luna saw the move coming and slipped inside the arc of his arm, using his momentum the way Avraham had trained her, and threw him forward.
Horus crashed onto the white marble floor, breath knocked from his lungs, his cheek already reddening where Luna's hand had struck him.
For a heartbeat, no one moved.
Then the murmuring began, rising like the buzzing of disturbed insects.
Every eye in the hall turned toward them.
Luna felt it immediately: the weight of collective attention, the sudden exposure. And beneath it, another presence.
Her father was watching.
'This is bad, I lost control, I have to get this girl out of here now.'
She turned from Horus and moved toward Anotella.
The girl lay crumpled on the floor, her broken arm hanging at a grotesque angle. She trembled violently, small, controlled whimpers escaping her throat, though she still did not scream.
Luna knelt beside her, chest tightening painfully.
"It will be all right," Luna said softly, reaching for her.
'Where is Avraham?'
The thought had barely formed when something seized her.
The grip was ironclad. Invisible. Crushing. Pressing inward from every direction.
Luna gasped as the force wrapped around her torso, limbs, and throat.
Then it changed.
The force no longer pressed against her externally. It slid beneath her skin.
It felt as if something were crawling through her body, forcing its way inward, invading muscle, bone, and breath alike.
Her vision blurred violently. Pain detonated inside her chest, abdomen, and skull. It was wrong in a way she had no words to describe.
Violating. It felt as if she were becoming a prisoner inside her own body.
Luna screamed. The sound tore through the hall, freezing everyone in place. None more so than Horus himself, who had a look of dread painting his own face.
"No. Stop… STOP! OBEY ME!" he shouted.
The force did not respond. It was no longer listening.
And Luna was not resisting. She could not. She had nothing she could use to shield herself.
She collapsed forward, half-conscious, breath coming in ragged fragments. The crushing pressure eased, but the invasive presence did not withdraw.
When she finally regained some control of her senses, the scene around her had shifted.
Her older siblings, among them Casius, stood with their backs to her, shoulders rigid, facing the Arasaka delegation. A maternal uncle stood beside them. The Lunaris family had also been offended.
Horus floated high, above the marble floor, limbs twisted at unnatural angles that made Luna's stomach turn. His mouth opened and closed as a fish dragged from the water.
Her father's voice, low and contained, was speaking with a man who closely resembled Horus: the Arasaka delegation leader.
They seemed to be finishing up their discussion under the suspended body of Horus.
'How long was I unconscious for?' Luna thought.
Lord Whiterock gave a faint, indifferent nod when Horus dropped to the marble floor with a sickening thud. His attendants rushed to him.
No one had rushed to Luna, which was confusing, but she soon understood why as Lord Whiterock began walking toward her.
Luna tried to rise, but her body refused to obey.
The lingering presence inside her tightened again, translating to brain fog and overwhelming nausea.
Lord Whiterock stopped above her like a towering mountain.
His hand closed around her throat. Not in uncontrolled rage, nor for spectacle.
But with precise, deliberate intent.
He lifted her just enough to force her neck straight, denying the comfort of curling inward. Her feet scraped faintly against the floor as the air seemed to thin.
"Fa… father?" Luna croaked.
Her father leaned closer. His voice was barely more than a whisper against her ear.
"Why must you be so pathetic?" he whispered.
His gaze briefly shifted toward Horus before returning to her. "Your existence is meaningless. Yet like an insect, you persist in mocking my name."
Luna felt control slipping from her body again.
Her father's eyes locked onto hers. Her body tried instinctively to turn away from that gaze with strength she had not known she possessed.
Lord Whiterock tightened his grip, holding her in place, bringing her to the edge of darkness. When the pressure suddenly abated.
The fog inside her mind dissipated. The nausea faded. She felt herself regain control.
Lord Whiterock released her.
Luna dropped to her knees, coughing violently, throat raw, eyes watering.
As if nothing important had occurred, Lord Whiterock turned to address the room.
"House Whiterock prides itself on its connection to the Flame. We have served the Emperor and his Flame faithfully. For this reason, we are blessed with abundance."
His voice remained cold.
"You would all do well to remember that."
His gaze sharpened as it swept across his children.
"My own children most of all."
He turned away from Luna. So did everyone else.
Casius did not look back. Another brother's mouth tightened into a look of pleasure. The room resumed its business around Luna as though she were a stain on polished marble, something the servants would clean later.
A hand touched her arm gently, causing her to flinch. It was Avraham.
He said nothing, but tried to steady her on her feet.
When Luna resisted standing fully, he finally whispered, "Do not make it so easy for them. Hold your head high, Luna."
For the first time since her mind had cleared, confusion and despair gave way to anger.
Where had Avraham been? Why had he arrived only now?
'You traitor,' Luna thought, glaring at him.
Avraham did not flinch.
She accepted his support regardless; she needed it for now, and no one else seemed interested in offering.
"I'm fine, go pick up Anotella," Luna's voice came as a grating whisper.
She took a moment to compose herself, holding her head high as she had been instructed to, and walked in front of Avraham, who had scooped up Anotella, leading them both out of the throne room.