THE FIRST DECLARATION
The masked host lifted a black crystal staff high above the chamber.
Blue flames dimmed.
Rain hammered the stained-glass windows.
The vast hall of Noctharis fell into a suffocating silence.
"Let the first declaration be spoken."
A chair scraped across the marble floor.
Adrian Blackwood rose slowly from the Executionists' table, his dark coat trailing behind him like smoke.
He looked across the gathered rulers and spoke with cold certainty.
"Our decision is simple."
His voice echoed through the chamber.
"We strike first."
Murmurs spread instantly.
Blackwood continued,
"If Bellini dies before he learns of this meeting, the Wanderers will have no leader to rally behind. They will not know who killed him, and they will not know when it happened."
He placed both hands on the table.
"A hidden blade prevents an open war."
Thunder rolled outside.
The masked host inclined his head.
"Very well. The first declaration has been recorded."
His masked face turned toward the other tables.
"Any opposition may now speak."
A chair slammed backward.
Veer Rajput stood, tall and unshaken.
"Why murder a king while peace still exists?"
His voice cut through the hall.
"For years Bellini has kept the Wanderers from open war. Kill him, and every island under his banner will burn."
Several delegates nodded.
Veer pointed toward Blackwood.
"And if Bellini survives the attempt, every Wanderer in the world will unite against us."
He looked around the chamber.
"We are not discussing the removal of a corrupt mayor. We are discussing the assassination of a king whose name is feared across oceans."
The hall erupted.
Arguments exploded from every direction.
"He's right!"
"No, strike now!"
"You're all cowards!"
"Peace is weakness!"
The noise rose like a storm trapped beneath a roof.
The masked host struck the crystal staff against the floor.
CLANG!
The sound thundered through the chamber.
"Silence!"
The hall slowly quieted.
The host turned toward the third table.
"Table Three. State your decision."
Junyu stood.
The black collar around his neck caught the blue firelight.
For a moment, the entire chamber watched the youngest voice in the room.
"Bellini cannot be killed."
Whispers spread immediately.
Junyu did not stop.
"He is one of the reasons this world still moves without collapsing into chaos. Remove him, and a war larger than any of us can control will begin."
His crimson eyes swept across the rulers.
"You fear Bellini's power, but I fear the world that comes after his death."
Silence answered him.
The masked host folded his hands.
"So the third table votes to spare Bellini."
He looked around the chamber.
"Is that the final judgment of this meeting?"
Before anyone could answer—
The air suddenly became heavy.
Chandeliers rattled.
Wine trembled inside crystal cups.
A golden pressure flooded the hall.
Aurex Valdren had risen.
His aura spread like a tidal wave.
Delegates gasped as the marble beneath their feet cracked.
The blue flames bent away from him.
"I understand your hesitation," Aurex said quietly.
His calm voice was more terrifying than a shout.
"You are not protecting Bellini."
He looked directly at Veer.
"You are protecting yourselves."
Aurex's gaze moved across the chamber.
"You fear failure. You fear that if the assassination fails, Bellini will return with the wrath of every Wanderer behind him."
No one answered.
Aurex took a single step forward.
"But it will not fail."
The pressure increased again.
"Because we are not alone."
The words struck the hall harder than thunder.
"The rulers of the world are already preparing for war against Bellini. They will support us."
Shock spread through the audience.
Some nobles turned pale.
Others began whispering in panic.
Even Veer's expression hardened.
Aurex spread his arms slowly.
"Ask yourselves honestly."
Golden light burned behind him like a rising sun.
"Can Bellini defeat the rulers of the world?"
No one spoke.
Junyu's hand tightened against the table.
For the first time since defending Bellini, uncertainty entered his heart.
Can even Bellini survive that?
Aurex saw the doubt in their eyes and knew he had won the moment.
One by one, delegates began nodding.
The tide of the meeting turned.
The hall that had been divided moments earlier now leaned toward Aurex Valdren.
From his throne of gold and shadow, Aurex watched the chamber bend around his will.
He had made his move.
And the Black Meeting was beginning to become his war.