Chapter 55: Isabelle's Plea
****Isabelle’s POV****
The chamber of the Circle of Nine was carved from history itself—vaulted ceilings of cold stone, frescoes etched in blood and time, and chairs that had once belonged to kings now serving men who called themselves gods. The air reeked of incense, dust, and judgment. But Isabelle Vale stood at the center of it all, unflinching.
She could feel the weight of a hundred eyes, the suffocating silence of ancient power pressing down on her shoulders. The Circle sat in their half-moon thrones above her, robed in tailored black, watching with narrowed eyes. Whispers curled like smoke around the edges of the room. Murmurs of disrespect. Of dishonor.
But Isabelle didn’t tremble.
Her voice rang out like a bell cleaving through fog.
“I stand here n
