Chapter 86 The First Lie

Chapter 86 The First Lie
The city did not wait long. Rowan felt it the moment she stepped away from the courtyard. The pull, The same strange sensation she had experienced before every memory. As though invisible threads connected her to the roots beneath the sanctuary, and the city had been waiting centuries for someone to listen. Unfortunately for Rowan, she was listening now, and the city apparently had a lot to say. By the time breakfast arrived, she had barely touched it. Jess noticed immediately. Of course she did.

"You have the face."

Rowan looked up.

"The face?"

Jess pointed her fork.

"The one where you're thinking too hard and pretending you're not."

"I'm not pretending."

"That's even worse."

Malric snorted into his coffee. Across the table, Corvin looked entirely unsurprised. Traitors. Every one of them. Rowan rolled her eyes and pushed away the untouched plate. The sanctuary had somehow provided food despite being abandoned for centuries. She had stopped questioning things several emotional breakdowns ago. Fenrir remained quiet throughout breakfast. Too quiet. The realization bothered her. Because Fenrir wasn't avoiding her, he was waiting, and that meant he knew exactly what was coming. The thought settled heavily in her stomach. When breakfast ended, Rowan found herself drifting back toward the silver tree. No one stopped her. The roots beneath the tree glowed brighter the moment she approached. Silver light spread through the stone. Ancient symbols appeared beneath her feet. The sanctuary disappeared, and the memory took her. The city was alive again. Sunlight spilled across silver rooftops, music drifted through open windows. People filled the streets and for one brief moment, everything seemed normal. Then Rowan noticed the guards. There were more of them than before. Positioned at intersections. The unease settled immediately. This memory happened before the fall, but something was already wrong The realization lingered as the memory carried her forward. This time she wasn't a child, the perspective had changed, she stood taller, watching from somewhere beyond the scene itself. A witness. Elara stood on a balcony overlooking the city. Dark hair moved in the breeze. Silver eyes remained fixed on the streets below. Someone joined her, a tall, broad-shouldered man. Dressed in dark formal clothing marked with silver symbols. Council symbols. Rowan recognized them immediately, not because she'd seen them before, but because the city wanted her to. The man folded his hands behind his back. For several moments neither spoke. Then Elara sighed.

"They've started already."

The man looked tired. Older than she expected.

"The decision has been made."

Elara laughed. The sound held no humor.

"Of course it has."

The tension between them felt familiar. Which somehow made everything worse.

The man stepped closer.

"Elara."

"No."

The answer came immediately.

"They're afraid."

"They should be."

The city darkened slightly. Clouds rolled overhead. The memory responding to emotion. Rowan had noticed that before. The city wasn't merely showing history, it was showing feelings. The man rubbed his forehead.

"We're trying to save people."

"No."

Elara turned toward him. Anger flashed across her face.

"You're trying to control something you don't understand."

Silence followed. The man's expression hardened with resignation. The look of someone losing an argument he no longer believed in himself.

"The prison won't hold forever."

The words settled heavily. Elara froze. For the first time, genuine fear crossed her face. The creature. Even before the fall, they knew. Even before everything collapsed. They knew. The realization sent a chill through Rowan. The man continued.

"The Council believes stronger measures are necessary."

Elara stared at him. Disbelief slowly replacing fear.

"No."

The word barely escaped her. The man looked away. That was answer enough. Whatever stronger measures meant... He couldn't even meet her eyes while discussing them.

"You can't."

His silence confirmed it.

Elara took a horrified step backward.

"You would sacrifice them."

The man's expression shattered, because he hated the answer, because he knew she was right. He said it anyway.

"If it saves everyone else."

Silence. The city stopped breathing. The streets below emptied. The memory focused entirely on the two figures standing on the balcony. People who once trusted each other. Now standing on opposite sides of something impossible. Elara's eyes filled with tears.

"You already voted."

The man closed his eyes. For one terrible second, Rowan understood everything. The Council didn't become corrupt later. The lie started here with fear and desperation. With people convincing themselves terrible choices were necessary. When the man opened his eyes again, he looked broken.

"I'm sorry."

Elara stepped back. As though the words physically hurt.

"No."

The answer came quietly.Far more devastating than anger.

"No, you're not."

The memory cracked. Silver light exploded across the sky, the city trembled, and as the vision began to collapse around her, Rowan finally saw the man's face. Enough of him to recognize him if she saw him again, enough for the city to make its point. The Council had betrayed Elara long before the city fell, and somewhere in the present, one of them was still alive. Rowan woke with a gasp. The roots beneath the tree blazed silver. Across the courtyard, Fenrir was already staring at her. Waiting, because he knew exactly whose face she had seen.