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CHAPTER 8

Author: Anonymous Lee
last update Last Updated: 2025-04-04 15:08:24
The Hall of Ascendancy shimmered with light not born of sun nor flame.

Thousands of delicate bulbs — small, crystalline vessels — floated in perfect rows, suspended midair, each pulsing gently with contained power.

At the center of the hall, a long table of molten gold stretched endlessly, where the Elders of the Heavenlies sat, cloaked in robes of silver and blue.

A younger scribe, barely more than a fledgling, moved down the rows, counting carefully under his breath.

"One thousand, three hundred, and thirty-seven..." he murmured, brow furrowed, his fingers glowing faintly as he tallied.

He reached the end of the final row and froze.

A space — a single, perfect space — sat empty among the bulbs.

His heart nearly stopped.

"Elder Samael," he called, his voice shaking, "something is... amiss."

Across the hall, Samael rose from his seat, his face unreadable.

"What is it?" he demanded, already moving with frightening speed.

The scribe bowed low, pointing with a trembling hand.

"One is miss
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