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Chapter 6 - Shadows of the Council

The Blood Council Hall, Lyon, France — nestled beside the historic Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière, a sacred structure built in the 19th century.Yet beneath it lies something far older — a hidden arcane foundation, only accessible during the full moon when the bells chime in a precise, ancestral rhythm. A secret guarded for centuries by the bloodline of Keepers.

This hall was not merely a place for council. It was a reliquary of darkness.

Blue torches burned in the corners, forming a circular glow in the shape of an Ouroboros — the eternal serpent, symbol of rebirth and destruction. The ceilings stretched five stories high, painted with ancient entities and sigils in a language decipherable only through blood inheritance:

Sanguis Non Mentitur — Blood Never Lies.

La Reyna stepped inside, Lucien following just a half-step behind. Their footsteps echoed like fate knocking through hollow stone.

On either side, seven stone thrones were occupied by the masked high members of the Blood Council — their true identities and ages forever veiled behind etched silver.

And among them stood a woman in deep ash-grey robes. Her hair flowed past her waist. Her eyes, calm as a starless night — Maeryss.

Reyna (restrained but firm):

"Are you waiting for me… or afraid I came?"

Maeryss (half-smiling):

"If I feared you, I'd have erased your name from history long ago."

Lucien:

"Why didn't you?"

Maeryss:

"Because La Reyna is not a threat... she is an experiment. And like all good experiments… we needed to see if you'd break, or become unbreakable."

Reyna (frowning):

"Whose experiment?"

A voice interrupted — ancient and commanding.The leader of the Council rose. Clad in pristine white robes, a silver pendant pulsed at his chest with visible arcane light.

Council Leader:

"Raezmir El'Raez left behind more than legacy. He sealed a blood contract.You, Reyna, are not merely the rightful heir… but the lock — to a door that should never be opened."

Reyna:

"What does that even mean?"

Maeryss stepped forward. Her voice was soft, but her words struck like sharpened glass.

Maeryss:

"Our father concealed the truth.He created you as a final barrier against something that cannot be killed, cannot be chained… only contained.You are the living key to the prison of the ancient entity — N'Axur, the World Devourer."

Lucien (startled):

"That legend… it's real?"

Maeryss:

"It stops being legend when your own blood is used to bind it."

Reyna:

"And you burned our home… killed our father… for this?"

Maeryss:

"I would burn the world… if it means keeping N'Axur from being unleashed."

Reyna stood frozen.Not from rage… but from revelation.Her entire reality cracked beneath the weight of one truth — she was never meant to live freely.

Reyna (voice low, slow):

"If I am the key… then I choose when the gate is opened."

Or…

"If I'm the key… then I choose whether the world stays locked — or burns." (Gunakan mana satu ikut mood bab awak nanti)

The blue flames roared higher.Thunder rolled across Lyon's skies.

A reckoning was about to begin — not just vengeance…but a war between fate and will.

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