Gideon Nightveil's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Gideon pushed through the council chamber doors without knocking. The room fell silent. Six faces turned toward him, and he saw the fear flicker across each one. Good. They still remembered what he used to be. What he could still become if they'd let him lead. He crossed to the long table and set down the runestone. Its blue glow lit the chamber, casting shadows across the council members' faces. The ancient carvings pulsed with power—power he'd tracked through three districts to claim. "I retrieved what your hunters couldn't," Gideon said. His uncle Matthias stood, jaw tight. "This doesn't prove—" "It proves I can still do what none of you can." The shadows under his skin writhed, visible through his sleeves, but Gideon didn't look away. The runestone's light grew brighter, responding to something inside him. Matthias sat back down. The vote wouldn't happen tonight, but Gideon saw the doubt spreading across their faces. He'd forced them to see him as more than just the cursed one they wanted to forget.