The air inside the Great Hall was thick enough to choke on. It didn't just smell like ozone; it tasted like the end of the world. High above, the Star-Gate whirled like a hungry mouth, its white and gold light casting long, distorted shadows across the silver floor.
I looked at Sarah. My little sister. The girl I had protected from the darkness of our father’s shadow for years, only for her to be turned into a puppet for a man who didn't even see her as human.
Her blue eyes were vacant, fixed on me with a terrifying, mechanical stillness. The sword of frozen light in her hand hummed with a frequency that vibrated in my own teeth. Every pulse of that sword was synced to the Star-Gate. Aris wasn't lying—she was the heartbeat of the machine.
"Sarah, look at me," I whispered, stepping forwa
