Not ever again

Everyone who mattered was in the war room.

Destiny stood in the center, regal and breathtaking. She made a point to be dressed to impress—not out of vanity, but to remind everyone who she was. Their Queen. Their Spear. Their Sovereign.

Her gown was a living reflection of her power: pure gold, fitted and flowing like molten light. Her crown shimmered, delicately woven into her long, jet-black curls. Her skin glowed, kissed by the sun, radiating the kind of strength that only came from being broken, rebuilt, and reborn.

Charlene and Seth stood proudly beside her. Both were dressed in royal blue robes accented with golden stripes—symbols of loyalty, unity, and bloodline. Seth to her left. Charlene to her right. Together, they formed the trinity of trust—past, present, and future.

Heth, ReNew, Idris, and Professor E stood behind them in full military uniform. Argun wore the captain’s variation—bold and crisp. Even the hound stood tall, his collar freshly polished with the Audubon crest etched deep into the metal.

Doctor Gilead and Tabitha were dressed in functional navy attire, with a silver medical insignia stitched onto their right shoulders. On the left, they bore the Decussate Sigil—the new symbol of the Realm, the emblem of Fate reborn. Every person in the room bore it. It gleamed on their shoulders, their chests, their collars.

It wasn’t just a uniform anymore. It was identity. It was belief.

With a flick of her wrist, Destiny activated the monitors around the chamber. Instantly, her face—regal, calm, and glowing—was broadcast across the entire Realm.

She raised her chin and addressed them all with warmth in her voice.

“Greetings, my children.”

The entire Realm echoed in unison, as though their hearts beat together.

“We honor you, Great Spear!”

They bowed their heads in reverence.

Destiny smiled, eyes glistening.

“I come to you today to update you on all that has occurred—and to assure you that I am well. I have not fallen. I have not failed. I have been reborn.”

She let that word linger.

Then she declared it.

“From this day forward, you may address me as… your Queen.”

In the war room, every soul touched the glowing mark on their forearm. In perfect synchronicity, they bowed and proclaimed:

“All hail Queen Destiny!”

The Realm itself seemed to respond. Thunderous applause erupted across all cities, echoing like a thousand lions roaring from the heavens. The hounds raised their snouts and howled in harmony, joining the cry of allegiance. The air itself buzzed with power. Destiny closed her eyes and felt it—the love, the loyalty, the oneness.

A single tear traced down her cheek.

“I love you all,” she whispered, though her voice carried across every screen and speaker. “My children… We Are One. Always.”

With that, she ended the transmission.

Charlene rushed over, arms outstretched.

“That was amazing, Gigi!” she beamed. “Like… wow. Did you feel that? All that love? It was like... like the whole world was hugging you!”

Destiny hugged her tightly, brushing a hand down her granddaughter’s hair.

“Yes, little one,” she said softly. “It went very well. Better than I could’ve hoped.”

Seth stepped forward, the commanding tone returning to his voice as he shifted into leadership.

“Okay. That was the easy part.”

He looked around the room. His confidence had matured—it wasn’t arrogance. It was responsibility. Destiny couldn’t have been prouder.

“Now,” he continued, “it’s time to finish what we started. Tabitha, Professor E, Idris—you three stay here. You’re needed to maintain order while we’re gone.”

He turned to the others.

“Everyone else—you’re coming with us.”

Without hesitation, Destiny opened a glowing portal leading directly into the Council Chambers—right in the middle of their session.

They all filed in, orderly and proud, entering by rank and seniority. The royal family moved as one unit. The Aires followed behind them. Argun and the hounds entered first, each taking a strategic position around the massive chamber. Argun stationed himself at the portal’s entrance, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade, eyes scanning every shadow.

Every council member stood in awe.

Never before had a Fate—let alone the Queen herself—entered their chambers unannounced. The audacity. The power. The nerve. They could hardly breathe, let alone speak. But they did not protest.

They waited.

Heth, ReNew, Charlene, and Seth stood near Argun at the portal’s edge, forming a guard of honor. All eyes turned to the entrance.

Then she stepped in.

Queen Destiny.

As her foot crossed the threshold, every council member bowed low—deep and deliberate. No one dared speak. No one dared move until she allowed it.

“Thank you, my children,” Destiny said gently.

Her eyes scanned the room. She recognized every face—but one in particular stole the breath from her lungs.

Odo.

Her firstborn. The one she hadn’t seen in ages. He sat in the center seat, the place of council leadership.

Her voice caught for just a moment.

“My firstborn… You’ve returned?”

He gave no expression. He wore a pendant—a charm that masked his essence. The Hidden Place Stone. Destiny’s heart cracked just slightly.

“Queen Destiny,” Odo replied. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

“We?” she repeated, tilting her head. “You speak as if you’ve been here. But you’ve been gone so long…”

Charlene’s eyes widened.

Wait… This is my grandfather?

She looked at her father. Seth showed no reaction. He didn’t even glance in Odo’s direction.

“So much has changed,” Odo replied calmly. “My wife Beth and I have returned. We felt it was time to offer support to the cause.”

“And since when do you sit on the council?” Destiny asked, her tone sharp but steady.

Odo folded his hands.

“My Queen… Hasn’t the seat always been open to me? I was among the original Fates.”

Destiny’s eyes narrowed.

“I remember you refusing to serve.”

“That was a long time ago,” he said. “As I said… things have changed.”

He glanced down the table at Torock, who sat at the far end—ashamed, diminished, stripped of all former arrogance.

Destiny straightened.

Charlene and Seth instinctively moved to her side, flanking her in perfect timing.

Odo turned to Seth.

“Have you returned as well?”

“Hello, Odo,” Seth answered flatly.

Destiny’s voice cut through the silence like a blade.

“The question still remains. When did you return to the Realm?”

Odo raised his chin.

“Not long ago. I was added to the council just this morning. We voted. As one of the originals, it was only right.”

Destiny nodded slowly.

“Then We Are One… and we are blessed by your return. That being said—our Queen has a decree.”

Seth stepped forward and declared boldly:

“Any Fate who takes another Fate’s life out of anger… will be removed from the Realm. Not just them—but their entire bloodline. All descendants will be exiled.”

He paused.

“And the punishment will be handed down… personally… by the Queen herself.”

The chamber trembled.

The floating light orbs flickered and dimmed.

Even the hounds whimpered.

Every Fate bowed their head in reverence—or in fear.

Destiny’s eyes flared with divine light as she stepped forward.

“And let me make one more thing crystal clear,” she said.

Her voice echoed with undeniable power.

“The Civil War… is OVER.”

She turned slowly, locking eyes with each and every council member.

“Do I make myself clear?”

Silence.

Then a tremor of nods.

Whispers.

And finally…

“We are under attack,” she continued, “and we must stand together. There is no room for division anymore. No space for pride or petty vengeance.”

Her hand rested on her mark.

“We fight as one. Or we fall apart trying.”

“We Are One!” someone shouted.

“All hail the Queen!” the Audubon Sect began to chant, and soon, the entire chamber joined them.

Destiny said nothing more.

She turned toward the portal and stepped through it.

The room fell utterly silent.

She had never spoken to them like that before—not in a hundred years.

A new era had begun.

Whether they liked it or not.