"What is the pathway?"

As soon as Varelia spoke those words, the room fell silent.

The air grew heavy, as if the walls themselves were listening. The soft crackle of the distant city faded into nothing.

The Sun Maiden rested her chin on her palm, her golden eyes unreadable.

She turned her head slightly toward the maid and said calmly,

"You should leave."

The maid immediately nodded and left the room.

Her footsteps retreated down the hallway, fading until there was nothing but silence.

With a soft thud, the wooden door closed shut.

Then the Sun Maiden turned her gaze back to Varelia.

"I will not ask how you came to know of this, but you should not speak some words carelessly."

Varelia was confused.

"Why?"

The Sun Maiden gestured toward the chairs on the other side of the room, indicating for Varelia to sit.

Varelia did not complain. She walked across the polished floor and sat down. The chair was stiff, its wooden frame cold against her back.

The Sun Maiden sat opposite her.

"Dame Valeria, first tell me. What do you know about the pathway?"

Varelia did not answer immediately. She prepared her words carefully, choosing each one before speaking.

"Honestly, I know nothing. Except that the pathway can lead me higher, whether in power or status."

Hearing her words, the Sun Maiden smiled faintly.

"Yes, you are indeed right. The pathway can certainly lead you higher. But the question is... are you willing to pay the price?"

Varelia took a deep breath and said,

"Please enlighten me, Sun Maiden."

The Sun Maiden asked once more,

"Are you sure? You want to know this."

"Millions of people have died while walking this path. Once you know the truth, even if you want to turn back, you can’t."

Varelia showed no emotion. Not even the slightest hint of hesitation. She answered honestly,

"I have never regretted the choices I made in my life. Those choices are what made me who I am today."

"So, Sun Maiden, you do not need to worry about me."

The smile on the Sun Maiden’s face widened.

"You are truly one of a kind, Dame Valeria. Most people hesitate, even for a moment. But you..."

She sighed and continued,

"Very well. I will entertain you. Do not hesitate to question me."

Varelia slightly straightened her posture and asked her question once more.

"What is the pathway, and why did you say I should not speak some words carelessly?"

The Sun Maiden took a sip of water from a crystal glass on the table.

"The pathway is a trial. A test for those who seek power and eternal life."

"Only a rare few ever have the chance to even find a clue about it. Of course, there are exceptions. Those with a Sovereign’s destiny."

She paused, letting the words settle.

"Those with a Sovereign’s destiny do not need the pathway. But as I said, everything comes at a cost."

"The people with a Sovereign’s destiny are nothing but tools for a purpose."

"Do not ask whose purpose, or why. Just know that a Sovereign’s destiny transcends fate itself. Even if they wanted to die, they could not."

The firelight flickered, casting shifting shadows across the room.

"Anyway, you do not have a Sovereign’s destiny, so you only need to know this much."

The Sun Maiden leaned forward slightly.

"Back to the topic. Dame Valeria, are you even aware that you have already taken a step onto the pathway?"

Varelia’s eyes widened.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

The Sun Maiden smiled mischievously and raised her hand. Varelia was confused by her actions.

Then suddenly, a ring began to form on the Sun Maiden’s index finger. It glowed with an orange hue, warm and pulsing, like a heartbeat made of light.

Varelia’s expression stiffened as she stared at the orange ring.

The Sun Maiden tilted her head.

"In this era, the pathway is #### #### #### ####."

Cael, who had been listening from the edge of the room, felt an intense pain in his mind.

The Sun Maiden’s words were blurred, fractured, as if something was preventing him from hearing them.

He could not understand her. It was as if the very universe had decided he was not allowed to listen.

But thankfully, the pain did not last long. The Sun Maiden continued.

"So, Dame Valeria, you have already entered the pathway’s first step. You are simply not aware of your powers yet."

She paused and asked,

"Tell me. Have you ever experienced a situation where you were about to die, but somehow found a way to survive?"

Varelia simply nodded.

"Yes."

The Sun Maiden smiled.

"That is because those who have entered the first step of the pathway will not die at the hands of others."

"Unless the other party has also taken the first step, or is further along."

"You see, this is one of the blessings of destiny and fate."

Varelia shook her head.

"I do not understand."

The Sun Maiden’s smile softened.

"You do not need to understand it. Just experience it for yourself. The pinnacle of power."

She extended her hand toward Varelia.

"Give me what you promised."

Varelia reached into her coat and pulled out the yellowish-orange orb.

It pulsed with warmth, casting a soft glow across the table. She placed it in the Sun Maiden’s waiting palm.

The Sun Maiden looked at the orb for a long moment. Then she asked,

"Tell me, Dame Valeria. What are your thoughts on this orb?"

Varelia paused and said,

"Was this also a...?"

She did not finish the sentence.

The Sun Maiden nodded and shook her head at the same time.

"Yes and no."

She pressed the orb tightly in her hand.

Her fingers wrapped around it, and the glow intensified through the gaps between her knuckles.

Sun Maiden’s voice grew serious.

"This orb is... part of my heart."

Both Varelia and Cael were surprised by the sudden revelation.

The room seemed to grow warmer. The shadows on the walls flickered as if disturbed by an unseen wind.

The Sun Maiden’s eyes softened.

"Dame Valeria, you are the most talented person I have seen in the sixty thousand years of my life."

"But you do not have the destiny to reach the pinnacle on your own."

"So, I will give you a chance. Become my wing. Become my will. I will bestow upon you the title and fate of a Monarch."

"And as for what kind of Monarch you want to be... that is your choice."

Varelia did not immediately answer. The silence stretched between them, filled only by the distant sounds of the city below. Then she asked,

"How can I trust your words?"

The Sun Maiden simply replied,

"Whether you trust me or not... that is also your choice."

Varelia took a deep breath. The air in the room felt heavier now, charged with something she could not name.

She looked at the orange orb, then at the Sun Maiden.

"I will become your wing. I will accept the fate of a Monarch."

She paused and said,

"But let me experience your power first."

The Sun Maiden smiled. "Very well. Then look closely. This is my path."

As soon as she spoke those words, a crown appeared on her head. It was made of gold and flame, its edges sharp, its light blinding.

A necklace formed around her neck, each gemstone burning like a captured star.

A cape unfurled across her back, woven from fire and shadow, its edges dissolving into embers.

The orange orb in her hand turned to dust. The particles sank into her skin, absorbed by her body, becoming part of her.

Then her skin began to change. Her pale complexion turned to gold, shimmering like molten metal under torchlight.

Her aura intensified, pressing against the walls, against the ceiling, against the very air in the room.

She reached out to touch the armrest of her chair.

But before her fingers even made contact, the wood was already incinerated. Ash floated where the armrest had been.

Her golden hair danced wildly as flames flickered along its length.

At that moment, she was no longer smiling. Her eyes were cold, ancient, burning with a fire that had seen millennia.

Varelia’s breathing quickened. Her legs gave out beneath her. She fell to her knees, her hands pressing against the floor to steady herself.

"It... it is not mana."

The Sun Maiden nodded.

"Once you begin to utilize your path, you will no longer be able to use mana. After all, we are high—"

Her words paused. Her head turned to the side.

In that instant, Cael’s eyes met the Sun Maiden’s.

Cael felt heat.

Not the warmth of a fire, but the heat of a star, the heat of something that should not exist in the same world as him.

His skin prickled as his breath caught in his throat.

A name surfaced in his mind, unbidden, as if the universe itself was whispering it to him.

"Sovereign of Eternal Flames."

Cael’s vision began to crack. The room in front of him fractured like a mirror struck by a stone.

Shards of reality fell away, revealing darkness beneath.

Before the mirror fully broke, he heard the Sun Maiden’s voice.

No, not the Sun Maiden. The Sovereign of Eternal Flames.

"Who are you?"