Chapter 3: The Gilded Cage of the High Matriarch

The summons from the High Matriarch hung over the Duskthorn Mansion like a storm cloud. Li Yunxiao stood in the training courtyard, his borrowed sword trembling in his hand as Lyra circled him like a wolf sizing up prey. Sweat dripped down his brow, his amber eyes flickering faintly gold—a lingering effect of the relic's power.

"Stop hesitating," Lyra barked, her emerald gaze sharp. "You think your enemies will wait for you to *think*?" She lunged, her blade a silver blur. Yunxiao parried clumsily, the clash reverberating through his bones.

Seraphina watched from a shaded balcony, her silver hair gleaming as she sipped wine from a jeweled goblet. "He's got the reflexes of a concussed kitten," she called down, smirking. "Maybe we should've bought him a ribbon instead of a sword."

Elara appeared beside her, her midnight-blue robes fluttering. "The relic's energy is merging with him. If we don't stabilize it…"

"He'll explode? How festive." Seraphina's violet eyes glittered. "Let's hope the Matriarch doesn't notice."

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#### **The Crimson City: Heart of Power**

The capital, **Verdantia**, was a marvel of towering spires and floating gardens, its streets paved with luminescent jade. Women in silk and steel strode with authority, while the rare powerful men wore collars of office, their eyes downcast. Yunxiao's stomach churned as the trio's airship descended. *This is where they'll decide if I live or die.*

The group was met at the palace gates by the Matriarch's envoy—a woman whose presence silenced the crowd.

**Commander Veyra Solstice, the Iron Lotus**

- **Appearance**: Veyra was a statue carved from war. Her cropped platinum hair framed a face of cold, symmetrical beauty, marred only by a scar slicing through her left eyebrow. Her piercing sapphire eyes missed nothing, and her full lips were permanently set in a frown. Her body was a masterpiece of muscle, clad in a crimson-and-gold uniform that hugged her curves like a second skin. A whip coiled at her hip, and her thigh-high boots clicked with every step.

- **Personality**: Veyra was ruthlessly efficient, her loyalty to the Matriarch absolute. She despised frivolity and saw Yunxiao as a stain on the trio's reputation. Her voice was a blade, honed to cut.

"The Duskthorn entourage," Veyra announced, her disdain palpable. "Follow. Stray, and I'll remove your legs."

As they walked, Yunxiao noticed Seraphina's playful mask slip—a rare moment of tension.

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#### **The Audience: Secrets and Scrutiny**

The throne room was a cavernous hall of gold and obsidian, its ceiling lost in shadow. At its center sat the **High Matriarch**, a woman whose aura choked the air.

**High Matriath Lysandra Valtara**

- **Appearance**: Lysandra was ageless, her beauty both terrifying and sublime. Her long, blood-red hair cascaded over a gown of living shadow that writhed like smoke. Her face was porcelain perfection, with lips the color of fresh bruises and eyes like twin black holes, sucking in light and hope. Her figure was voluptuous, every movement hypnotic, as if her body defied gravity itself.

- **Personality**: Lysandra's voice was a velvet dagger, each word calculated to manipulate. She ruled through fear and fascination, her mind a labyrinth of schemes. To her, Yunxiao was either a tool or a threat—nothing in between.

"The *Three Jewels*," Lysandra purred, her gaze lingering on Yunxiao. "And their… pet. How *quaint*."

Elara stepped forward, her tone respectful but firm. "You summoned us, Your Eminence."

"Yes. The relic you retrieved—*my* relic—is a fragment of the Gods' Core. And this boy," she said, pointing a clawed finger at Yunxiao, "is a spark in a powder keg. The **Sundering** began with a Golden Mind. It seems history loves repetition."

Yunxiao's breath hitched. *Golden Mind*. The words from his vision.

Seraphina laughed, though her knuckles whitened on her dagger. "He's just a pretty face with a knack for books. Hardly world-ending."

Lysandra's smile turned predatory. "Then you won't mind if I… inspect him."

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#### **The Test of Flames**

Yunxiao was dragged to a circular arena beneath the palace, the trio forced to watch from barred alcoves. Lysandra's voice boomed: "Survive, and you live. Fail, and your *mistresses* share your fate."

The floor erupted in spectral flames. From the fire emerged **Kaelis**, the Matriarch's champion.

**Kaelis, the Ashborn Phoenix**

- **Appearance**: Kaelis was a man—*one of the 2%*—but unlike any Yunxiao had seen. His bronzed skin glowed with internal fire, his bald head tattooed with runes. His physique was godlike, muscles rippling beneath a chest harness of chains. His eyes burned white-hot, and his voice crackled like embers. "Pitiful. They send a lamb to slaughter."

- **Personality**: Kaelis was a zealot, his loyalty to the Matriarch forged in fanaticism. He craved worthy opponents, and Yunxiao's trembling form disgusted him.

Kaelis attacked, his fists wreathed in fire. Yunxiao dodged, his mind racing. *Fire follows patterns—oxygen consumption, heat waves…* He grabbed a fallen chain, lashing it at a support pillar. The ceiling collapsed, dousing part of the flames and creating a smokescreen.

"Clever," Kaelis growled. "But *strength* wins wars." He shattered the chain with a punch.

Yunxiao's relic-scarred hand pulsed gold. Instinctively, he *pulled* at the arena's magic—and the flames bent to his will, forming a whirlwind around Kaelis.

The crowd roared as Kaelis faltered. Lysandra's black eyes gleamed. "Enough."

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#### **The Bargain**

Back in the throne room, Lysandra offered a deal: "Serve me, boy, and I'll spare your friends. Refuse, and I'll peel their souls like fruit."

Yunxiao's voice shook but held firm. "I won't be your weapon."

To everyone's shock, Lysandra laughed. "Oh, I don't want you to *fight* for me. I want you to *think*. The **Veil between worlds** is thinning. Demons claw at the edges of Aetheris. Your mind—your *Golden Mind*—could mend it."

Elara stepped forward. "At what cost?"

Lysandra's grin was feral. "His sanity, perhaps. Or his life. A small price for salvation."

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#### **The Escape**

That night, as the trio debated in their gilded prison, a familiar shadow slipped through the window.

Zara Nightshade perched on the sill, her smirk visible in the moonlight. "Need a hand, puppy?"

Seraphina rolled her eyes. "Here to stab us or save us?"

"Both, if you're lucky." Zara tossed Yunxiao a vial of glowing liquid. "Drink. It'll suppress the relic's aura long enough to flee. But hurry—the Matriarch's already sent hunters."

Lyra eyed the vial suspiciously. "Why help us?"

Zara's heterochromatic eyes locked on Yunxiao. "Let's just say I've got a *vested interest* in his survival."

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