The Hall of Concordance was rarely used—an ancient chamber built into the foundation of the royal citadel, laced with oaths, sigil contracts, and detection wards that made lying nearly impossible.
Today, it was filled with tension.
A delegation from the neighboring Aurelion Kingdom, clad in silver-gold robes with sunburst crests, stood in silent formation before the throne of High Sovereign Lysanor of Caelthros. At their head was Arch-Regent Veyrn Solas, known as the Silver Fox of Diplomacy—a man famous for turning pacts into blades and peace into shackles.
"We request the custody of Ari Solen," Veyrn said without hesitation.
Gasps echoed. Even the royal guards tensed.
Cerys, seated among the Aetherrose observers, narrowed her eyes.
Eluin, watching from the balcony, froze.
"He is a citizen of Caelthros," the King said evenly. "Under our protection. Sanctum-registered. What justification do you present?"
Veyrn's smile was polite. Too polite.
"We possess prophetic records from our Seers of the Solar Helix. They speak of a Null-Origin, a child who walks outside all Threads. We believe this individual is not only dangerous… but destined to reset the weave of the world. We do not demand punishment—we request stewardship."
"You mean control," whispered one of the ministers.
"We mean containment," Veyrn said without shame. "And we are prepared to offer peace, shared research, and territory as exchange."
The court whispered in alarm.
The King stood slowly. "Ari Solen is not a relic. He is not a weapon to be bartered."
"Then you have made your choice."
The air shimmered. One of Veyrn's attendants pulled a scroll—woven of light.
Aurelion hereby declares conditional hostility toward Caelthros, should refusal to cooperate be maintained.
War for rightful possession of the Null-Origin.
Within the Vault, alarms spiraled.
This wasn't just politics now—it was systemic instability. One kingdom declaring war over a child who had spoken to the root system was unprecedented.
Ari himself was kept in the upper Sanctum wing, unaware at first. But the tension filtered through.
It wasn't long before a message came directly to him, burned in gold and red.
You are not a student anymore, Ari Solen. You are now a territory.
The Royal Council scrambled.
The Six Pillar Houses were split:
House Aetherrose advocated resisting—Cerys herself refused to let Ari be taken.
House Vastelune wanted to leverage the threat, using Ari as a rallying icon to consolidate national pride.
House Duskreign remained eerily quiet, likely weighing both sides from the shadows.
House Obelmar pushed for war readiness and strategic fortification.
House Larkveil, always strange, whispered only one thing: "The spiral is awakening."
House Cindergale outright called for a preemptive strike on Aurelion.
Later, Ari was brought to the council chambers, standing alone before nobles, mages, generals, and even the King himself.
"They want to use you," the King said. "Not just study. Weaponize. But I cannot ask a child to become the fuse to a war."
Ari, quiet at first, finally raised his eyes.
"Then don't," he said. "I'm not the fuse. I'm the storm they saw coming late."
He turned to the crowd.
"Let them declare war. Let them make me the reason. But know this: if they come for me—I will not run. I will answer."
Cerys stood. "And we will stand with him."
Eluin nodded. "He's not a child of prophecy. He's a break in the pattern. And it's time we stop pretending that means weakness."
Even the Princess—silent at the edge of the dais—tightened her jaw.
"Let the world come. If they want Ari Solen… they'll have to rewrite the war code for him."
In the distance, from divining pools and military scouts, the news began arriving.
Aurelion was already moving.
Their Threadweaver Regiments, each specialized in high-tier lineage warfare, were mobilizing across borderlines.
Ari returned to his room.
He stared at the mirror.
"I didn't ask to be born wrong," he murmured.
Behind him, the shadows shifted—or maybe they leaned closer to listen.
And deep in the roots of the System, something ancient whispered:
[NULL-SYNTAX DETECTED][UNDEFINED VARIABLE: SOLEN_ARI][LOCKED RECORDS UNSEALING…]