Ava heard a soft knock at her door, followed by Lady Concetta’s voice calling from the other side. Since Ava had met the royal family, Lady Concetta had become much more formal with her, treating Ava with the code of loyal guests.

  Ava opened the door, offering a polite smile as she stepped aside to let the woman in.

  "Lady Ava, you are required for your presence with the Emperor and Prince Alessandro. May I come in to help you get prepared?" Lady Concetta asked, her voice as crisp and composed as ever.

  Ava glanced out the window, her gaze lost for a moment in the distant view. The sky outside had a soft glow, signaling that it was early morning, perhaps around eight. She had no sense of time here, no awareness that Ars Pherian days ran on a full twenty-four-hour cycle. Everything still felt so new, so disorienting.

  Ava glanced back out the window, still trying to wrap her mind around the unfamiliar familiarity of everything. "How many hours are there in a day on Ars Pheria?" she asked.

  "Same as Earth, twenty-four," Lady Concetta answered, her tone even. "Although Ars Pheria is much smaller than Earth, its rotation on its own axis is twenty-four hours, and its orbit around its sun is exactly the same as Earth’s, three hundred and sixty-five days."

  Ava blinked in surprise, trying to absorb the information. "Isn’t that amazing?" she murmured.

  “It is indeed,” said Lady Concetta. "Lady Ava, you may wish to see the Emperor and Prince Alessandro as soon as possible."

  "Why? Is something wrong?" Ava asked in her instinctive nervousness bursting her emotional aura in purple fumes. Lady Concetta’s gaze lingered for a moment on the swirling colors, her expression unchanged. "I am not informed, my Lady," she replied bluntly, the lack of emotion in her voice only deepening Ava’s sense of unease.

  Ava quickly got ready and followed Lady Concetta to the Emperor’s chambers. She realized she didn’t like the "Prince" Alessandro treatment on Ars Pheria, the unseen wall it built between them. Although she was spoiled with everything she could need, from fine clothes to the best food and exceptionally good wine, the invisible walls of loyalty made her feel lonely and useless. She remembered the Ghull telling her to be patient. Then, she remembered their shared kiss, which had felt so innocent at the time, but now, she felt a sense of guilt in her this morning.

  Her guilt boiled up when she saw Alessandro. He was alone, and his eyes were red, likely from not having slept, consumed by the weight of his work. The sight of him, usually so composed, made her heart twist.

  “Ava, it’s okay, it wasn’t your fault,” he said, noticing the swirl of guilt and fear that radiated from her aura.

  “What do you mean, my fault? Or not my fault?” Ava asked, her voice trembling. She felt exposed and vulnerable under Alessandro’s gaze, knowing he could sense her emotions. The weight of shame bore down on her, and she fought to hold back her tears.

  As she gazed at the reflection of the morning sun on the polished surface of the golden statue near the window, she instinctively reached out toward the light shining on its surface. She felt the warmth of it in her hand, the radiance expanding, enveloping her. In that moment, she experienced a deep sense of healing, and her emotions began to settle. She was no longer overwhelmed, able to regain control of herself.

  “Ava, what did you just do?” Alessandro asked, his voice filled with astonishment. “You’re glowing.”

  “Can you see my colors?” Ava asked, her curiosity piqued.

  “No, I only see a white glow surrounding you,” Alessandro replied, still baffled. “How did you manage that?”

  “I think I’ve discovered a new way of channeling the light,” Ava answered, a sense of relief washing over her. “What happened? Has the Sumer arrived already?”

  “No, but the Ars Pherians you encountered yesterday at the portal gardens spoke about you publicly. The Senate now knows you’re here, and there’s growing unrest about what’s going on.”

  “Oh no!” Ava exclaimed. “They found out before you could tell them. What are we going to do?”

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  “The Emperor and I will go to the Senate now and explain everything,” Alessandro said, his tone resolute, as if he were leading an army into battle. “I need you to head to the Rehabilitation Center. My mother will be there shortly to escort you. I’ll invite the Senate members to witness you healing the patients. Can you do that, Ava? Are you ready to heal with your light?”

  “I believe I can... I want to,” Ava replied, though a lingering unease still weighed on her. She longed for Alessandro to hold her, to reassure her that everything would be fine. As if he had read her mind, Alessandro leaned in, kissed her, and pulled her into a tight embrace.

  “Amore, whatever happens, I will always be your Alessandro, the cellist,” he murmured. “We’ll drink wine, and I’ll play the cello... only for you.”

  Lady Concetta knocked on the door to announce that Lady Aurelia had arrived for Ava. Aurelia embraced Ava warmly, offering a quiet, reassuring hug. “Be brave,” she whispered. Ava pulled on a large cape to shield her face, then followed Aurelia out to her waiting vehicle.

  Soon, Alessandro stood beside his father at the Senate rostrum. All fifty-five Ars Pherian senators were present, many engaged in quiet conversations, exchanging questions and murmurs. Emperor Sephianos rose to his feet, commanding immediate silence across the grand hall. With a measured breath, he began an unprecedented speech, one no Ars Pherian Emperor had ever delivered before.

  “Respectable Senators of Ars Pheria,

  Today, I stand before you not only as your Emperor but also as a fellow citizen of Ars Pheria, to offer a truthful and sincere explanation of the events we have recently faced.

  Esteemed Senators,

  I know you are eager to learn about the Earthian who crossed the portal, this is a matter that has captured your attention above all others. Yet, I must first address something of great importance that I should have shared with you sooner. There are times when reason and logic urge us to wait for the right moment, but time, as we all know, is a cruel master. It plays tricks on us, slipping away when we least expect it.

  Today marks a pivotal moment in the history of Ars Pheria, a day of proclamation that will forever change the way we view our place in the universe. The Sumer, an alian human civilization possessing technology far beyond our own, has made contact with us and discovered the existence of Ars Pheria.”

  The Emperor gave the Senators a moment to process the staggering news, allowing the weight of his words to settle in. He then continued, methodically recounting every detail, from the day he first encountered the Sumer’s communication sphere to the fateful day of Queen Nammu’s exile.

  As the Emperor concluded his account, a tense silence fell over the hall. Some Senators exchanged anxious whispers, their voices barely audible, while others sat motionless, as if turned to stone, their faces frozen in shock, like statues carved from white marble.

  All the senators of the Ars Pherian Senate agreed to an hour-long session to deliberate the matter privately before Alessandro continued with his speech. This was the customary procedure on Ars Pheria, decisions were made unanimously, with rare exceptions. Only when two rational courses of action emerged, creating a division of opinion, would the Senate split evenly, twenty-two in favor of one side, twenty-two for the other. In such cases, the Emperor would cast his vote as the fifty-fifth senator, tipping the scales and determining which side would prevail.

  After the intensity of his speech, the old Emperor needed a moment to rest, leaving Alessandro alone amidst a sea of senators, all eager to ask questions and demand answers. Many of them felt the Emperor's delay in disclosing the existence of an alien civilization had been a grave mistake, one that no Emperor should have made. While it was understandable that the Emperor had not wished to incite panic, they believed he should have made the right choice sooner and shared the information with the public.

  The senators in the advisory group, too, were now acknowledging their own lapse. They wished they had not waited so long, though in truth, how could they have foreseen that circumstances would change so swiftly?

  After an hour of deliberation, Alessandro rose to address the Senate. He called for a solution-oriented approach, urging the senators to focus on finding a way forward. To guide them through these extraordinary times, he referenced a passage from the Ars Pherian Constitution, reminding them of the principles that should steer their actions in moments of crisis. With calm authority, he invited the Senators to unite in support of the Emperor and the nation.

  Alessandro possessed his father’s political charisma, when he spoke with conviction, his words had the power to captivate and command the room.

  Under the Ars Pherian Constitution, the senators agreed to focus on finding solutions to the imminent threats, postponing any discussion about the Emperor’s potential failings to a later date. This outcome was both unexpected and damaging for Emperor Sephianos, who had long been accustomed to the unwavering support of the Senate throughout his reign. Yet, despite his wounded pride and growing frustration, he stood by his son, tall and resolute, as always.

  “She is a beam of sunlight breaking through the dark clouds that hang over Ars Pheria,” he began, his voice filled with unwavering conviction. “I know her well enough to vouch for her, she seeks no harm, only to help. I neither invited her to Ars Pheria nor shared our secrets with her, yet she found us, guided by the light within her. Her light has healed me, and it will heal all of our people who suffer from the poison of the dark fumes.”

  He paused, then extended a solemn invitation to the senators. “Come with me to the Rehabilitation Center. Let us witness the angel she truly is. My words can scarcely convey the miracle she embodies, see it with your own eyes.”