LilAnny1
You can't do it.
The Counselor's voice was too soft, too understanding. He put a hand on the trembling initiate's shoulder, gentling him into a paternal hug. The boy moved closer, relief flooding through him, but before his hand could reach the Counselor's back, he choked.
The sound of iron slicing through skin echoed in the subterranean chamber. The metallic smell of fresh blood instantly covered Vespera's senses.
"You should have known better," the Counselor said, stepping away from the falling body. "Vespera Vance, come here."
Vespera walked forward, her face a mask of cold indifference. She had waited three centuries for a chance at the Crowned Order, and she wouldn't blink now.
"Since your junior initiate here failed to understand loyalty," the Counselor purred, offering her the silver dagger. "Why don't you show everybody how it's done?"
She took the blade. It was heavy, perfectly balanced, the hilt carved with the order's coiled serpent. Vespera walked to the next kneeling traitor. She grabbed the black silk veil obscuring his face and ripped it downward in one ruthless motion.
"I want you to see exactly who is finishing you," she whispered softly. "Piece by piece."
She worked the dagger through her hand, finding the perfect grip. In a single, slow, deliberate arc, the silver blade found the sweet spot at his throat and sliced down.
This wasn't an initiation. It was a promise of absolute dominance.
A girl has never survived the Trials of Aethelgard... but after today, it seems Aethelgard should be expecting their new female lord ,whether they like it or not...