A quiet and peaceful week had settled over Thalia’s life. She found a sense of calm within the manor’s walls, enjoying the lull that followed the recent chaos. Yet, from time to time, duty called her back to the Imperial Palace — summoned by none other than Emperor Kallixto himself. He had once confided in her, in a moment of unguarded honesty, that his constant need to keep her near was tied to the Hiax — the only thing known to stabilize the deadly curse that afflicted him.
Now, sitting within the military council hall, Thalia found herself once again drawn into the affairs of the Empire.
"Now that all of us are gathered," Shun said, adjusting his spectacles as he glanced around the room, "we shall proceed with the planning for the reinforcement of Saintess Iris’s refuge."
The chamber
