Each beat made the ground tremble as the crowd pressed against the sides of the main street.
Banners waved in the wind, and the sound of white stallions’ hooves set the rhythm of the procession.
“The Emperor has arrived!” someone shouted, and the crowd erupted in applause.
Lukas stood among the spectators, his body still heavy from the night of celebration.
His chest tightened. In his past life… none of this ever happened in Sorriso.
When the carriage stopped in front of the fortress, the air shifted.
A living heat filled the square, as if the sun itself had descended to the earth.
And then—marching with firm, resounding steps between the front-line soldiers—appeared a figure small, yet impossible to ignore.
No taller than twenty centimeters, its humanoid body carried the sculpted muscles of a warrior.
Flaming wings stretched wide, and the head of an eagle bore a crown of light.
Golden radiance burned around it, forcing some in the crowd to shield their eyes.
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“…Rá Lumpa,” someone whispered in disbelief.
The guardian raised its wings and spoke, voice like muffled thunder:
“The Sun does not bow. Justice casts no shadow.”
Behind him, the carriage doors opened.
Pedro de Bragan?a, the Emperor, stepped down—clad in crimson robes and a heavy crown.
At his side, his daughter, Elizabeth, the Countess of Bragan?a, emerged holding the Tower’s staff, eyes unwavering.
But what made Lukas’s heart race wasn’t the Emperor.
It was when Rá stopped before the escort, and the golden flame reflected on something familiar.
At the waist of Kyros José Fernandes, Patriarch of Sorriso, hung a simple—but terrifying—keychain.
A miniature Black Sun: an obsidian sphere with golden runes revolving around it, like an eternal eclipse.
Rá aligned himself beside Kyros, and everything became clear.
Sweat ran cold down Lukas’s neck. Rá is my father’s guardian…
César’s voice echoed, deep and solemn:
“That’s no ordinary spirit. That one was forged in the heart of the Sun itself.”
Morgana laughed softly, venom in her tone:
“Well, chocolatinho… looks like the old man’s hiding a pet made of fire.
And you? Still nothing hanging from your belt.”
Lukas clenched his fist, shock burning in his chest.
In my past life… Lumpas didn’t even exist. And now— even my father has one?
End of Chapter 2