"You brought this ruin upon me, and now you are going to help me burn his empire down to the ground."
Giska spoke the words into the empty, rotting warehouse, but miles away, inside the towering pinnacle of the Grand Luminary Ball, Rea felt a cold shiver run straight through her veins. She did not hear his voice, yet the phantom weight of her past actions seemed to press heavily against her bare shoulders. She adjusted the heavy diamond straps of her evening gown, staring at her reflection in the gilded mirrors of the grand ballroom entrance. The fabric of her dress was spun from direct light filaments, shimmering with a costly brilliance that belonged only to the highest tier of Neo-Soma society. Everything about her appearance screamed opulent luxury, a perfect physical manifestation o
