The door closed behind her.
Silence lingered.
Not empty....but waiting.
Avrel exhaled slowly, his gaze fixed on the spot where she had stood.
"…That woman…"
He frowned.
This wasn't just annoyance anymore.
It was something closer to caution.
The room felt different now.
Lighter.
Less controlled.
The attendants moved immediately. Their pace quicker, more deliberate, as if her presence had previously been the only thing restraining them.
The maid who had first entered stepped forward again.
"Please stand," she said.
Avrel raised a brow.
"…I'm not exactly in a position to argue."
"Then comply."
Her tone was firm—but not harsh.
Avrel clicked his tongue lightly and pushed himself upright.
His body resisted at first. Weakness clung to him, but the warmth still lingering in his chest made it manageable.
Strange.
That sensation hadn't faded.
If anything, it had settled deeper.
The maid gestured.
Two attendants approached, helping him into prepared garments.
Dark fabric, layered, fitted.
Not luxurious but not ordinary either.
Avrel glanced down at himself.
"…You people dress prisoners well."
No one responded.
The maid adjusted the final layer, then stepped back.
"You will be escorted to the Inner Council Chamber," she said. "Remain silent unless addressed."
Avrel tilted his head slightly.
"…And if I don't?"
She met his gaze briefly.
"Then you will be corrected."
No emotion.
Just certainty.
Avrel studied her for a moment, then exhaled.
"…Right."
Two guards entered.
Armored.
Silent.
"Move."
The corridors stretched long and cold.
Stone walls lined with faint carvings symbols Avrel didn't recognize.
Each step echoed.
Measured.
Controlled.
He didn't resist.
Instead, he observed.
Doors passed by some guarded, others sealed. The deeper they went, the fewer people they encountered.
Yet the place never felt empty.
It felt occupied.
Layered.
Alive in a quiet, unseen way.
Eventually, they stopped.
Before massive doors.
Carved.
Heavy.
Imposing.
One guard stepped forward.
The doors opened slowly.
Avrel stepped inside.
The chamber was vast and circular.
At the center lay an open expanse, surrounding it were nine elevated seats arranged in an arc.
Each occupied.
Each distinct.
Avrel's eyes moved across them and then stopped.
Third from the left was the red haired lady.
Seraphine Valemyr sat there, Composed and unmoving.
Her gaze met his.
No surprise.
No reaction.
Only quiet acknowledgment.
"State the charge."
The voice came from the center seat.
It was measured and heavy.
A guard stepped forward.
"This individual was found unconscious within the inner compound," he reported. "In possession of a sealed artifact of unknown origin."
A pause.
"All indications suggest unauthorized entry."
Silence followed.
Then
"Approach."
Avrel stepped forward.
Each step echoed.
He stopped at the center mark.
And waited.
"Name."
"…Avrel."
A pause.
"Explain how you came to possess the artifact."
Avrel's mind worked quickly.
"…I didn't take it."
A faint shift in the chamber.
"…It was given to me."
That alone drew attention.
"By who?"
The question came from multiple directions.
Avrel hesitated briefly.
Then answered.
"…Metildore."
Silence.
Absolute.
Still.
A ripple of reaction spread through the chamber.
This reaction, Just who is that old man he thought
Seraphine's fingers tightened slightly against her armrest.
"…Oh, that sly old fox... So it has begun," she murmured.
"Bring him forward."
The heavy voice shot as though a decision was already made in that moment
The guards moved.
"Step forward."
Avrel complied.
Slowly.
The warmth inside his chest stirred again as he moved deeper into the chamber.
Not pain.
Not comfort.
Something else.
Seraphine's voice cut through the silence.
"…What if he is telling the truth."
The room shifted subtly at her words.
Attention realigned.
"Verification has been confirmed," she continued calmly. "The artifact resonates with recorded signatures linked to Metildore."
A pause.
"This is not fabrication."
Murmurs spread across the Council.
Controlled but present.
The man at the center leaned back slightly.
"…Then this is no ordinary trespass."
His gaze sharpened.
"It becomes a matter of origin."
All eyes returned to Avrel.
He stood at the center of the chamber.
Exposed.
Measured.
Judged.
"Avrel."
The voice called again.
"Do you understand where you are?"
Avrel looked up.
"…A place where my faith is decided I suppose."
A faint silence followed.
Then
A few subtle reactions from the seats.
Not agreement.
Not denial.
Interest.
"Correct."
The center seat spoke again.
"You stand before the Inner Council."
A pause.
"And by their authority, your fate will be determined."
Avrel exhaled slowly, sweat running down his neck
"…It will be fine."
He whispered to himself
Seraphine's gaze remained fixed on him.
A second voice spoke.
"This matter cannot be resolved immediately."
Another added
"The artifact must be examined further."
Another
"And the subject himself evaluated."
The discussion began.
Not chaotic.
Structured.
Measured.
Avrel listened carefully
Each voice revealed something
Some saw him as a threat
Some saw him as a subject of study
Some saw him as an unknown variable
But none dismissed him.
Then
Seraphine spoke again.
Calm.
Clear.
"I think he should remain under observation."
A pause.
"Direct containment is unnecessary for now."
Her words carried weight.
Not just opinion.
Influence.
Avrel's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…So I'm not being executed."
Not a question.
A statement.
The chamber went quiet again.
Then the center voice responded:
"…Not yet."
A decision followed.
"Avrel will remain within Inner Compound custody."
"Under restricted supervision."
"His artifact will be secured for examination."
A pause.
"And his status will be determined after further evaluation."
Guards stepped forward.
But before they reached him that familiar warmth surged again inside his chest.
Stronger this time.
More defined.
His breath caught.
"…Now what…?" he mumbled
Seraphine's eyes sharpened instantly.
"…So it responds under pressure," she murmured.
Avrel felt it.
Not just warmth.
A resonance.
Something aligning.
Something reacting to the environment.
To the name.
To the presence of the Council.
And in that moment
He realized something.
This wasn't just about judgment.
He wasn't the only one being evaluated.
The chamber was watching him.
But something else
Was also watching back.