CHAPTER 60
The council chamber felt different.
Not royal.
Not peaceful.
It felt like a place where decisions were no longer made for governance…
But for survival.
---
Heavy doors closed behind Selene and Brian.
The sound echoed sharply through the hall.
Every head turned.
Every gaze measured them.
---
At the far end of the chamber stood Zack.
Still.
Calm.
Like he had not slept in months—but refused to show it.
Beside him were commanders, guards, and scribes.
And in the center—
A restrained figure.
---
Selene saw it immediately.
The creature.
Bound.
Sitting upright.
Watching.
Smiling faintly.
---
Brian stepped forward first.
"What is that?"
Zack turned slightly.
"A captured enemy."
Brian frowned. "That is not an answer."
Zack replied calmly.
"It is the truth."
---
Selene's eyes remained fixed on the creature.
"…So this is what we are fighting."
Her voice was quiet.
Controlled.
Not afraid.
Just assessing.
---
The creature tilted its head when it noticed her.
"You brought new faces," it said softly.
A few guards tensed immediately.
---
Brian stepped forward. "Do not speak."
The creature smiled.
"You all say that."
---
Zack raised a hand slightly.
Silence returned instantly.
---
Selene looked at Zack now.
"You are Prince Zack."
He met her gaze.
"I am."
---
A pause.
Selene studied him carefully.
"You have been running the kingdom's defense."
"Yes."
"And this is your method now?" she asked, glancing at the creature. "Keeping monsters in chains?"
Zack did not react to the word monsters.
"They are not just monsters," he said. "They are intelligent."
---
Brian stepped closer.
"So the reports were true," he said. "They can take human form."
Zack nodded once.
"Yes."
---
That silence that followed was heavier than words.
---
Selene turned slightly toward the creature again.
"And it understands us perfectly?"
The creature chuckled softly.
"Better than you think."
---
One of the commanders spoke quickly.
"My lady, do not engage it—"
Selene raised a hand slightly.
"I am not afraid of conversation."
The commander fell silent.
---
Zack observed her quietly.
Not many people spoke like that in his presence.
---
Selene asked the creature directly.
"What are you?"
The creature smiled wider.
"A reflection."
---
Brian frowned. "That is nonsense."
The creature looked at him.
"Everything is nonsense until it reaches your doorstep."
---
Zack stepped forward slightly.
"Enough."
The creature obeyed—strangely—going silent immediately.
That detail did not go unnoticed.
---
Selene's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…It responds to authority."
Zack nodded.
"It recognizes strength."
---
She looked at Zack again.
"And you are trying to understand it."
"Yes."
"Not kill it."
"I am doing both."
---
That answer made the chamber go quiet.
Even Brian didn't speak for a moment.
---
Selene finally asked the question everyone was thinking.
"How long has this been going on?"
Zack's expression darkened slightly.
"Months."
---
Brian exhaled sharply.
"And the kingdom only now calls full assembly?"
Zack replied without emotion.
"Because now they are no longer outside."
A pause.
"They are adapting closer."
---
Selene's gaze sharpened.
"…Meaning?"
Zack looked at her directly.
"They can become us."
---
That line hit differently when spoken aloud.
---
Even Brian went still.
"…Then anyone in this palace could be—"
"Yes," Zack interrupted.
---
Silence.
Deep.
Uncomfortable.
---
The creature laughed softly again.
"Now you understand."
Zack turned his eyes toward it.
"You speak too much."
The creature smiled.
"I speak truth."
---
Selene stepped forward slightly.
Her voice remained steady.
"If they can become us… then how do you know this one is not lying about everything you believe?"
---
Zack paused.
That question landed deeper than expected.
---
For a moment—
Even he didn't answer immediately.
---
Then he said quietly:
"I don't trust what it says."
A pause.
"I trust what it does."
---
Selene studied him.
Then nodded faintly.
"…Logical."
---
Brian crossed his arms.
"So what now?"
Zack turned slightly toward the council.
"Now we prepare for infiltration."
---
A commander spoke quickly.
"You believe they are already inside the city?"
Zack replied:
"I believe they have always been inside."
---
That statement changed the room.
Completely.
---
Selene looked around slowly.
For the first time—
She understood the fear.
Not of battle.
But of uncertainty.
---
She spoke quietly.
"Then this kingdom is no longer safe from within."
Zack nodded.
"No kingdom is."
---
The creature tilted its head again.
"You are all just late to realize it."
---
Zack finally turned away.
"Take it back to containment."
Guards moved immediately.
---
As they dragged the creature out, it looked at Selene one last time.
"You are new," it said softly.
Selene didn't respond.
But she watched it carefully.
---
Then it smiled.
"You will learn quickly… or not at all."
The doors closed.
---
Silence returned.
---
Brian exhaled slowly.
"This is worse than war," he said.
Selene nodded once.
"Yes."
A pause.
"This is uncertainty."
---
Zack looked at both of them.
"You are either here to help defend this kingdom…"
His voice was calm.
"But understand this clearly."
A pause.
"We are no longer fighting to protect borders."
---
Selene met his gaze.
"Then what are we fighting for?"
Zack answered simply.
"Identity."
---
Silence.
Heavy.
Final.
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And for the first time since they entered the palace—
Selene understood something deeply unsettling.
---
This war was not just about survival anymore.
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It was about what it meant to remain yourself in a world that could copy you perfectly.