Chapter 677: Telling The Council
Madam Tyler frowned slightly at Tobias.
"What do you an?" she asked.
Tobias shifted in his seat, his fingers brushing briefly against each other before he spoke.
"The Trine of Ash and Vein does not stand on its own," he said. "It draws power from a source."
A few brows furrowed around the table.
He glanced at Madam Tyler, then back at the assembled council.
"From what I know," he continued carefully, "the Trine of Ash and Vein must draw power from sothing that has significance to whoever or whatever is being placed within the seal."
Mary tilted her head slightly.
"Like the Circle?" she asked. "And whoever is being sealed must have a connection to it?"
Tobias nodded imdiately.
"Exactly," he said. "And from what Madam Tyler just explained, the Circle was used for rituals—black magic rituals, I think. That already implies a connection to Dolion, who was sealed within it. It fits too well to ignore."
He leaned forward slightly, his voice gaining a steadier rhythm now that he had begun.
"The Circle is not separate from the Trine," he continued. "It is part of it. Without the Nir’thal Circle, the Trine of Ash and Vein cannot exist at all."
Silence followed that statent as recognition began to settle in uneven fragnts.
Sophia remained quiet for a long mont.
Then, softly, she spoke.
"To take is to die... to unleash is to release."
Orion turned his head toward her imdiately.
"What?" he asked, voice low.
She did not look at him right away. Her gaze stayed fixed on the table.
"That was written on one of the stones Ronan and the others found in Nirvana," she said quietly.
A faint shift moved through the room.
Brynhild leaned forward slightly, her expression tightening as she considered the implication.
"Then..." she began carefully, choosing each word, "does that an when Orion killed Dolion... sothing might have been released?"
The question did not land softly.
It settled into the room like a weight none of them were prepared to lift.
Tobias exhaled slowly.
"It is possible," he admitted after a mont. "Especially if we align it with what was written on those stones."
Ronan imdiately frowned.
"So what, we released sothing we were never supposed to release?" he asked. His tone sharpened. "Would it have been better if Orion had just left Dolion alive?"
The question hung in the air for a mont.
Tobias did not rush to answer.
When he did, his voice was quieter.
"To be honest... I doubt that outco would have changed much," he said. "After what Sophia shared with us, I feel like this was always going to happen in one form or another."
Eldric frowned deeply and adjusted his glasses.
"I do not recall Sophia ntioning anything that supports that conclusion," he said.
Tobias went quiet.
The room followed.
A beat passed.
Then another.
Sophia drew in a slow breath.
"That is because I have not told everyone," she said at last.
The room stilled instantly.
Every movent seed to pause at once.
Her hands rested together on the table, fingers interlaced tightly, though she tried to keep them still.
"I am aware that most of you already know of it," she continued more softly, "but I have recovered my mories... and I think it is ti I told you all who I was."
Her voice wavered slightly at the end.
She glanced briefly toward Orion.
He t her eyes and gave a small, steady nod.
He had intended to tell them himself before Sophia woke fully—but that window had already closed. And more importantly, he knew Sophia would not allow him to carry sothing that belonged to her.
Still, that did not make this easier.
Sophia turned back toward the table.
Her mouth opened.
Closed again.
A second passed.
Then another.
Her breath felt shallow.
From the mont Ronan had told her and Orion about the council eting, she had felt this tightening in her chest. Not fear of the people in the room—but fear of what would change once the truth was spoken aloud.
Even now, her palms were damp, and her thoughts kept slipping just as she tried to hold them steady.
Orion noticed the hesitation imdiately.
"You do not have to say anything," he said quietly.
Sophia shook her head at once.
"No... I should. I have to."
Her voice was firr now, even if her hands betrayed the tension she carried.
Daniel leaned forward slightly, his brow furrowed.
"This is not normal," he said. "What exactly is going on?"
Caspian let out a short breath.
"Keep up, old man."
"You are older than ," Daniel told him.
"Hmmm," Caspian replied. "As I said, she is trying to tell us who she really is."
Daniel ignored that.
"I know she is trying to tell us who she is," he said, "but she is hesitating. That is what I am asking about."
Before the argunt could continue, Madam Tyler spoke sharply.
"That is enough."
The tone alone ended it.
Both n leaned back in their seats and silence returned.
Madam Tyler’s gaze softened when it landed on Sophia again.
"Go on, child," she said gently.
That gentleness seed to loosen sothing in Sophia’s chest.
She nodded faintly.
Her eyes dropped again to her hands.
The silence stretched.
Seconds turned heavy until it beca minutes and then finally she spoke.
"You already know my na," she said quietly.
No one responded.
"And you already know that I am the Luna foretold," she added, forcing a faint, nervous breath of laughter. "I suppose... I know that too."
Sophia swallowed.
"But that is not all."
Her fingers curled tightly for a mont before slowly releasing.
"I am from the Blood Moon Pack."
That na changed the atmosphere instantly.
Subtle reactions spread across the table most in recognition.
Sophia kept her gaze lowered.
"And my mother is—"
Her voice faltered, just for a second. This was the part she was scared of.
Before she could continue, Madam Tyler spoke.
"Victoria," she said softly. "Right?"
Sophia lifted her gaze slowly.
And t Madam Tyler’s eyes directly.
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