The Raven Throne

Location: Tavara – Central Parliament Hall, Capital District

The once-imposing Central Parliament Hall now echoed with chaos. The ornate chamber, where generations of rulers had debated Tavara's fate, had become the battleground for the soul of a nation.

Nora stood at the main dais, facing a sea of powerful faces—some allies, many enemies. Behind her, on display for all to see, hovered the decrypted data crystals from The Citadel, casting shifting light on the golden Raven crest behind her. The evidence they contained had already leaked to the world.

Greed. Conspiracy. Betrayals going back three decades.

Every secret that kept the ruling elite untouchable had been exposed.

Damien stood to the side, flanked by Logan, Ashford, and two of their elite security agents. His presence alone was thunder without a sound. Where words would've once failed, now truth did the speaking.

Nora raised her voice. "We didn't come here to ask for power. We came to tear down the illusion that it belonged to any of you."

Gasps rippled through the chamber. One of the senior council members—a woman in an emerald sash—stood with trembling hands. "You can't just seize the throne. There are laws. Systems!"

"Laws that were bent," Damien said calmly. "Systems that were built to protect only those in this room. That era ends today."

From the balcony, civilians watched behind reinforced glass. Outside, thousands more flooded the city square, eyes locked on live feeds. Whispers of revolution had turned into roars of expectation.

Nora held up one of the crystals. "This is the legacy you all tried to bury. My parents... Damien's father... the true builders of Tavara—they envisioned a nation driven by unity, not silence."

An aide rushed forward with a sealed envelope. Nora opened it quickly, scanning the contents. Her face tightened, then relaxed.

"The southern provinces have already declared loyalty to the Raven Accord," she said. "And the military tribunal has accepted Damien's reinstatement—not just as Commander, but as interim Sovereign until the new system is ratified."

Stunned silence followed. Then, slowly, murmurs turned to shouts.

One man lunged from the back row, drawing a concealed blade—aiming for Nora.

Before he could close the distance, Damien moved like lightning.

The man never reached the second step.

The dagger clattered uselessly to the floor.

"You'll get a fair trial," Damien said, voice like steel. "That's more than you gave the thousands whose lives your greed destroyed."

Nora nodded at Logan. "Initiate the transition protocols. Begin freezing assets of all parties listed in the Citadel leaks."

"Already in motion," Logan replied. "By morning, Tavara will breathe again."

---

Location: Damien's Family Estate – Rooftop Garden

Night had fallen. Fires no longer burned in the capital. Only candles—lit in memory of the fallen and in honor of the new beginning.

Nora sat beside Damien beneath the open stars. Between them, a quiet peace had taken root after weeks of storm.

"They'll never forget what we did," she whispered.

"No," Damien agreed. "And we'll never forget what it cost."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Do you think we're ready to lead?"

"We've already been leading," he said softly. "Now, we just do it in daylight."

In the distance, the Raven banner rose above the capital's skyline—no longer a symbol of power hoarded, but of justice earned.

And in that moment, for the first time in generations, Tavara belonged to its people again.