The great doors of the throne hall closed slowly behind the Pillar Head as he departed.
The heavy sound echoed through the vast chamber before silence settled once more beneath the high marble ceiling. Yet the silence now felt different than before. Heavier. Tighter. Like something unseen still lingered within the room even after his departure.
No one moved immediately.
The guards remained frozen where they stood, hands still clenched tightly around spear shafts slick with sweat. Several had lowered their eyes completely toward the floor, unwilling to even glance toward the throne after witnessing what had just unfolded.
At the center of the hall, the cracked marble beneath the Pillar Head's former position remained as quiet evidence of the pressure that had filled the chamber moments ago.
Celestia slowly turned her gaze toward her mother.
