Chris's POV
The silence in the Grand Chamber was deafening.
No guards. No aides. Just me—and Amara.
I had summoned her here without explanation. No protocol, no ceremonial fanfare. Just my voice in her comm: "Come. Alone."
She stood before me now, unwavering, but I could see it—the flicker in her eyes. The shift in her posture. Amara had always been composed, sharp, unreadable. But lately, the cracks were forming.
"Close the doors," I said.
She obeyed.
I stood with my back to her, staring at the massive wall screen showing a projection of the Empire: fractured loyalties, internal surveillance glitches, whispers in the council, even movements within the BAM that no longer matched my orders.
Trust was the currency I'd built the Empire on. And now it was bleeding away.
I turned to face her.
"Amara," I said, voice low. "Can I still trust you?"
Her lips parted slightly. She didn't answer.
"I've seen the doubt in your eyes. The conflict. You think I don't notice, but I do." I stepped closer, eyes locked onto hers. "Would you still die for me? Or have your loyalties shifted with your feelings?"
She looked at me—really looked. Like someone seeing a ghost of who I used to be.
"I've followed every command," she said finally. "Even the ones that broke me."
"That's not what I asked."
Her jaw clenched.
"Would. You. Die. For. Me?" I repeated, each word a test of everything we'd built together.
"Yes," she whispered. "Even if it kills the last piece of me that's still human."
I nodded slowly, stepping forward until we were inches apart. "Then prove it."
A beat passed.
"How?" she asked, her voice quieter now.
"You'll find out soon," I replied, turning away.
Because if this empire was going to survive, the next move had to be ruthless.
Even if it meant sacrificing the one person who'd stood by me the longest.