The pendant gleamed under the council chamber's dim light, its obsidian core swallowing the glow of the crystal-powered chandeliers above. Celestine Vaeloria stared at it, her grip tightening on the armrest of her seat.
Elias Draven was dead.
She had seen the reports. A decade ago, when the Usurper's Rebellion had been crushed, Elias—once a brilliant engineer and her most trusted advisor—had vanished. The official records stated he had perished in the final battle.
But if his pendant had been found at the crime scene, then one of two things was true: either someone had stolen it, or Elias was alive.
The council members murmured amongst themselves, waiting for her response.
At last, she spoke. "Where was this found?"
Vaughn folded his hands together. "Near the abandoned rail lines of Blackspire District. A patrol stumbled upon the wreckage of an old automaton—one of our own models, modified beyond recognition. There were… alterations."
Celestine arched an eyebrow. "What kind of alterations?"
Vaughn exhaled sharply and nodded toward one of the guards. A small mechanical construct was wheeled into the chamber—a broken automaton, its brass plating tarnished with age. Its design was unlike anything Celestine had seen before. Clockwork gears meshed with dark, crystalline filaments, pulsing faintly with an eerie glow.
She stepped closer, examining the craftsmanship. This wasn't just altered—it was corrupted.
Alistair Dorne, ever watchful at her side, scowled. "This isn't normal tech."
"No," Celestine murmured, "this is something else. Something forbidden."
Whispers of the Obsidian Order, an underground faction of rogue engineers, surfaced in her mind. They had been wiped out after the rebellion… but their research had always been leagues ahead of standard clockwork engineering.
If Elias had truly returned… had he become one of them?
Vaughn cleared his throat. "We have few leads, but we must assume this is a warning, my Queen. The Shadow Syndicate may not be working alone."
Celestine lifted her gaze. The room waited for her decision.
"Then we investigate," she said firmly. "I will not let ghosts of the past haunt Noctis-Lux unchecked."
Alistair nodded. "Shall I lead the search personally?"
Celestine hesitated for only a moment. If this was truly connected to Elias, she needed to see it for herself.
"No," she said. "I'm going."
A stunned silence fell over the council. Vaughn opened his mouth to protest, but one glance at Celestine's unyielding expression made him rethink it.
Alistair smirked. "Then we leave at dawn."
As the meeting adjourned and Celestine stepped away, the pendant still weighed heavy in her thoughts.
If Elias Draven was alive, then the shadows of Noctis-Lux were about to stir like never before.