The commanders shifted uneasily, hands twitching toward blades as Kai stepped from the shadows, torchlight catching the sly curl of his lips.
He gave a shallow bow — mocking more than respectful.
"Did you miss me?"
Seraphine bristled. "Why are you here? You're not one of us anymore."
Verek didn't move. Didn't speak. He only watched Kai, like a predator weighing the perfect moment to strike.
Kai's smirk widened. "Relax, Seraphine. Is that any way to treat family? Such a cold welcome…" He tapped his chest lightly. "I could almost cry."
His eyes snapped to Verek, the air in the chamber tightening. His tone shifted, silk to steel.
"Alright, old man. I'm a busy scum, so let's cut the pleasantries and get down to business."
The torches guttered violently, their flames bending as if the room itself recoiled from his words.
"Verek!" Seraphine snapped, slamming her fist on the table. "You dare bring such an abomination to our doorstep? What madness is this?"
Her voice rose, echoing through the chamber. "He's a ticking bomb — he can't be trusted! Have you forgotten? He has it in for your head as well!"
She turned, sweeping her glare across the table. "Do you think us incapable? Do you think the Shadow Legion cannot crush the Obsidians alone?"
Her lips curled in disgust, venom dripping from every word.
"First, it was that brat Mikasa… and now him."
She spat the last word like poison.
"What will this say about us? The Shadow Legion — reduced to taking the hand of the worst wolf in history."
"Enough."
The word cracked like thunder, silencing the chamber.
Verek hadn't raised his voice, yet the weight of it pressed against every chest in the room. His gaze locked on Seraphine — icy, immovable.
"You forget yourself," he said, each syllable deliberate, edged with lethal calm. "This is my table. My war. And no one… no one dictates who sits here but me."
Seraphine's defiance faltered under his stare, her words shriveling before they could leave her lips.
Verek leaned back, folding his hands as though her outburst had been nothing more than a gnat buzzing at his ear.
"Kai stays."
"I refuse to fight alongside him…" Seraphine hissed, sinking back into her chair. Her eyes, burning with venom, locked on Kai.
"All in favor of letting…" she sneered, "…the Forsaken Hound stay — raise your hands."
The chamber stirred. Whispers slithered like snakes through the shadows.
Not a single hand rose.
Seraphine's grin spread slow and cruel. "All oppose?"
This time, hands shot up — a sea of them.
The air itself seemed to shift, heavy with their choice.
Kai's smirk didn't waver. If anything, it deepened, mocking their display.
And then—
BANG.
Verek's fist slammed into the table, stone cracking under the force. The torches flared wildly, shadows recoiling from his aura.
"You dare hold a vote… in my war room?" His voice dripped venom, calm yet carrying the weight of a storm barely contained.
The raised hands froze mid-air. No one dared breathe.
Verek's eyes, glowing with fire, swept the table.
"Kai stays. His blood… his sins… his fate — all of it belongs to me. And if any of you would question that…" He leaned forward, voice dropping to a growl.
"…then you may step into the pit and test your strength against mine."
Silence. No one moved.
The silence stretched, thick and suffocating.
Kai let it hang for a beat… then chuckled low in his throat.
"Well," he drawled, spreading his arms lazily, "looks like Daddy Verek still knows how to keep his pups on a leash."
His gaze slid toward Seraphine, sharp as a blade.
"Don't pout, little wolf. You wanted a vote… but instead you got a verdict."
He leaned back, grin wicked. "And here I stand — the Forsaken Hound, wagging his tail right beside you."
The room seethed. Seraphine's jaw clenched so tight it could've cracked her own teeth, but she didn't move — not under Verek's glare.
Kai tapped the table lightly, as if punctuating the moment. "So… shall we talk war now? Or are we still pretending this is a family reunion?"
The Phantom King rose slowly, shadows curling at his feet like loyal dogs. His eyes swept the table, cold and merciless.
"Enough games," Verek said, his voice echoing through the war room like iron against stone. "You don't have to like each other. You don't even have to trust each other."
He leaned forward, hands pressing against the table.
"But you will obey. Because war is coming — and the Obsidians will not wait for our pride to settle itself."
His gaze lingered on Mikasa, then on Kai, as if daring either to defy him.
"We are the Shadow Legion. We do not fracture. We do not fall."
Silence swallowed the chamber.
And for a fleeting moment… even the shadows seemed to bow.