The space between them felt thinner than it should have.
Not physically or visibly.
But something about the distance between Liora and Aetheris no longer obeyed the rules it once had.
"…Then let's find out."
The words lingered in the air, heavier now than when she first said them, as if the world itself was still deciding whether it should allow that question to exist.
Because this place—
This throne—
This version of her—
Had never been meant to be questioned.
And yet—
She had.
Aetheris watched her closely.
Not with anger.
Not with superiority.
But with something far more unsettling.
Recognition.
"…You're serious."
It wasn't a question but
Liora didn't stop walking.
Each step forward felt deliberate, grounded in something she hadn't fully understood before. The hesitation that had defined her earlier choices—the uncertainty, the fear of what came next—had not disappeared.
But it no longer controlled her.
"I've always been," she replied quietly.
