[Silthara Palace — Hall of Eternal Rest — The Next Morning]
Dawn...never truly arrived. The sun had risen above Zahryssar, and yet... Silthara Palace remained cloaked in sorrow; not a single servant laughed. Even the fountains seemed quieter.
As though...the palace itself mourned. Inside the Hall of Eternal Rest, hundreds of white lotus flowers surrounded a raised marble platform.
Upon it... Lay Asha, her wounds had been washed, and her fur had been carefully cleaned. The blood that had stained her body yesterday...had disappeared. She looked as though she were merely sleeping.
At the foot of the platform...two silver ceremonial swords crossed one another. Above them...the banner of Zahryssar fluttered gently beneath the morning breeze.
One after another...royal knights entered; none spoke. Each silently removed their helmet and each lowered one knee. Each bowed their head, not before a queen, not before a malik, but before the guardian...who had given her life for their future.
