The final memory faded.
The Chamber of Sovereigns returned to silence.
Only the twelve empty thrones remained.
Artyom stood at the center of the chamber, staring at them.
"The twelve Great Houses..." he said quietly. "What happened to them?"
Caelum's expression became distant.
"They were destroyed."
Mikhail frowned.
"All twelve?"
"Not at once."
Caelum walked toward the nearest throne.
"One by one, they disappeared. Some were betrayed. Some were hunted. Others chose to erase themselves from history."
Dmitri looked at the ancient inscriptions.
"By whom?"
Caelum didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he pointed toward the floor.
A circular pattern appeared beneath the twelve thrones.
Each section carried a different symbol.
"The twelve houses swore an oath to protect the First Family."
Roman studied the symbols.
"And when the First Family vanished?"
"The oath was broken."
The chamber suddenly became colder.
Artyom looked down at the King's Seal.
"So the disappearance wasn't voluntary."
Caelum looked at him.
"Not completely."
Everyone became silent.
Viktor stepped closer.
"Explain."
Caelum sighed.
"The First Family knew someone was coming for them. They divided their power, records, and bloodline secrets among the twelve houses."
"Then they disappeared."
Dmitri's eyes widened.
"To protect the information."
"Exactly."
Yelena looked around the chamber.
"Then the Great Houses weren't protecting a kingdom."
"They were protecting a secret."
Caelum nodded.
"The secret of the First Blood."
Artyom's fingers tightened.
"What is it?"
Before Caelum could answer, the twelve symbols on the floor began glowing.
One after another.
A voice echoed through the chamber.
"The blood does not grant power."
"The blood grants choice."
Artyom looked toward the center.
A projection appeared.
It showed a young ruler standing before twelve kneeling houses.
Behind him stood a massive tree with silver leaves.
Its roots stretched beneath an entire city.
"The First Blood was never simply a genetic inheritance," Caelum explained.
"It was a bond between the ruler, the Sanctuary, and the twelve houses."
Artyom stared at the projection.
"Then why was my blood considered so dangerous?"
Caelum's gaze hardened.
"Because you are the first descendant in centuries to carry the complete bloodline."
Viktor's expression changed.
"Complete?"
Caelum nodded.
"The previous descendants carried fragments."
"Artyom carries all of it."
Silence filled the chamber.
Roman looked toward Artyom.
"Which means the Sanctuary isn't merely recognizing him."
Caelum answered quietly.
"It is waking because of him."
Artyom looked at the glowing symbols beneath his feet.
For years, he had believed his blood was a curse.
Something that made him unwanted.
Something his father wished had never existed.
Now he understood.
His blood had never been the weakness.
People had simply been afraid of what it could reveal.
Viktor stood beside him.
Whatever came next, he would face it with him.
The twelve symbols continued glowing around them, illuminating the ancient chamber like twelve silent stars.