The throne felt heavier now.
Not in the way of stone or weight.
But in silence.
In glances.
In breaths held too long.
Selene sat in the center of the flame hall, surrounded by advisors who no longer spoke freely. Their eyes flicked to the shadows. Their words laced with hesitation.
Because something had changed.
Not outside Veredon.
Inside.
Inside her.
Rumors flooded the capital.
Of a queen who spoke in two voices.
Of sightings in cities she hadn't visited.
Of decisions she claimed she never made.
Documents signed.
Allies threatened.
Letters destroyed before they could be read aloud.
Selene denied them.
But each denial made the silence louder.
Cassian entered with a parchment clenched in his fist.
"From the Outer Provinces," he said.
Selene took it.
Read:
"We swore loyalty to the Queen of Flame."
"But if two flames burn, which one warms and which one destroys?"
She crumpled the page.
"Then let them burn in confusion."
But her hands trembled.
The Mirror's presence had changed her.
Not just in vision.
In memory.
Some days Selene remembered waking at dawn.
Others, she swore she never left the chamber.
A battle plan drafted and signed, but she hadn't seen it before.
Even Ingrid noticed.
"You're forgetting things."
"I'm not."
"You are. And worse, your handwriting is showing up where you've never been."
Selene slammed her fist on the flame table.
"I am the Queen of Flame."
"And yet," Ingrid said gently, "flame splits when it's not fed."
She ordered a cleansing.
Every mirror in the palace was smashed.
Every record was rewritten by her hand.
Every loyalist was retested for magic influence.
The Ember Veil was stretched thin.
Too many eyes.
Not enough certainty.
Even Elric began questioning orders.
"Do you want me to carry out the northern sweep?"
"Yes."
"But last night you said...."
"I said yes."
He bowed.
But his eyes said something else.
That night, Selene stood before the First Flame again.
She didn't speak.
She waited.
And sure enough, the Mirror appeared.
Only this time, she didn't taunt.
She begged.
"Let me speak through you."
"Let me carry the burden when you're tired."
"Let me rule when you cannot."
Selene snarled.
"You want my crown?"
"No," the Mirror whispered.
"I already wear it."
Selene screamed.
The fire in the chamber exploded.
When guards found her, she was unconscious.
The walls scorched.
Her hair singed.
And the floor etched with one line:
"A crown divided will burn from within."
The next morning, Ingrid hesitated before entering the chamber.
Selene sat on the throne, eyes unreadable.
"Good morning," she said, her voice too calm.
Ingrid frowned.
"You're... rested."
"I slept."
Ingrid studied her.
"Did you call the eastern council last night?"
"I did."
"And approved the Karron executions?"
"Yes."
Ingrid nodded slowly.
Then left.
And as she did,
She whispered to Elric:
"That's not her."
Across the realm, strange decisions began to take root.
All temples to flame closed.
Circle prisoners released.
New edicts were written in older language.
And yet...
Selene gave the orders.
Signed the parchments.
Spoke the words.
Even when they tasted like ash in her throat.
In the Ember Veil headquarters, a secret message arrived.
Untraceable. Unsigned.
But sealed in flame.
"The Queen has split."
"One will save us."
"The other will drown us in fire."
"But neither will surrender."
Elric assembled the inner circle.
Only Ingrid, two Veil agents, and Cassian.
"We need to know," Elric said. "Who's really giving orders."
Cassian's face was stone.
"If you accuse her of fracture, and you're wrong"
"We die," Ingrid finished. "Yes."
"But if we're right,"
"Then we're already too late."
Selene stood before the sacred hearth that night.
Alone.
But not.
The Mirror stepped from the flames again.
They stared at each other.
Not as queen and imposter.
As equals.
"You're tired," the Mirror said softly.
"I'm always tired."
"I can help."
"You are the enemy."
"I am your answer."
Selene approached her.
Reached out.
Touched her own face in flame.
And for a moment...
There was peace.
Then her palm burned.
She screamed.
The Mirror smiled.
"You're not strong enough to carry both of us."
"So I will carry you."
And just like that.
Selene collapsed.
And when she rose,
Her eyes burned brighter.
Her smile widened.
And her voice… shifted.
The Queen of Flame still reigned.
But now, something else burned behind her eyes.
--------------------
She made her move.
And it changes everything.
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