I sat a few steps below Alaric's throne, slightly to the left, exactly where I was expected to be.
Zephyrus was on the right, leaning back in his seat like he didn't care for formalities, though I knew better.
The court filled the chamber in quiet rows. Advisors. Ranked lords. Ministers. No one spoke. No one fidgeted. In this hall, even breathing felt observed.
The pressure came gradually.
It settled into the room first, then into my chest like a familiar weight that announced authority before it revealed itself.
The Demon Council never appeared without reason.
Dark smoke gathered before the throne, folding over itself until shapes began to form within it.
It wasn't a single body, it was many with their edges overlapping one another. There was no fixed shape to the faces, but The Devourer who appeared at the center was more solid than the rest.
"Alaric, lord of the demon realm." The chorus voice started as the dark smoke swirled in weird shapes.
