As the moonlight faded from Tessara's display, the chamber fell quiet once more, but the tension still lingered in the air like smoke after a cleansing fire. Every eye turned as Maika stepped forward, her stance proud, the sand-colored sash of her Hi Okami heritage tied firmly at her waist.
Hanging from her right hip was the Taiyo no Men—a radiant mask shaped like a golden sun with sharp etchings and burning motifs. It caught the light from the chamber's sconces, gleaming like a relic forged from dawn itself. With a firm breath, Maika reached for it.
"Before you judge me by my blood," she said, voice low but unwavering, "I want you to see who I truly am."
She lifted the Taiyo no Men and placed it upon her face.
Instantly, golden sunfire flared across the floor beneath her, forming a radiant circle. Her body pulsed with energy, her crest blazing on her back below the right shoulder.
The aura from her Taiyo no Men surged like a heatwave, catching everyone in the room with a sudden pressure, the kind felt before a desert storm. Curtains rippled, and the glass of nearby windows shimmered with subtle vibrations.
"My name is Maika of the Loyalist Hi Okami," her voice rang out, now amplified by the magic of the mask. "Daughter of Hikaru Hi Okami, brother to the man who once stood by Murasabe Soma's side. I am not of the Renegade filth who serve Falzath and desecrate our name."
Flames coiled around her feet, sparking across the marble floor without burning it, a dance of controlled fury. The leaders at the table stirred, some shielding their eyes, others bracing for a fight.
"You may know my clan as betrayers, but you know nothing of what we endured," she continued. "The day the Renegades stormed our hold and took the Taiyo no Men by force, my father stood against them. He defended our people so I could escape. I was sixteen. I watched as his body was cut down by those we once called brothers. And when they turned on their own Loyalists, I ran with the last spark of our honor."
Gasps rippled through the room. The golden aura brightened, illuminating Maika's tears as they welled behind the mask.
Her voice trembled as she continued, softer now, but every word etched with pain. "My father... he knew he wouldn't survive. He looked me in the eye and said, 'Run, Maika. Carry the truth. Let them know we fought for light.' I didn't even get to say goodbye. I ran, hiding in shadows, burying my name, carrying this mask and the memories of those who died so I could live."
Maika's fists clenched. The Taiyo no Men glowed brighter as her crest flared like a miniature sun. "I carried shame. Guilt. But not anymore. Shin reminded me that the truth still matters. That honor can be reclaimed."
Maika reached up and slowly removed the Taiyo no Men, cradling it with reverence. Her eyes were still ablaze with the sun's fire, her crest still glowing. She hung the mask once more from her right hip, where it swayed like an eternal promise.
She stepped toward Shin and knelt. "Shin of the Soma Clan. I pledge my life, my blade, and my light to your cause. I am yours, body and soul."
Her crest pulsed, and a radiant line connected her aura to Shin's left hand, joining the tapestry of energy already connected to Laverna, Zera, and Tessara.
Rynn leaned to Dalen, whispering, "That sunfire... It's real. I didn't think anyone could wield it without burning themselves."
Dalen nodded, awed. "She's not just powerful. She's righteous."
Mira, standing beside Lyssa and Tove, let out a breath. "Shin attracts storms. That much is certain. But the one beside him burns brightest."
Her gaze drifted to Laverna, who stood silently, her tiger eye necklace glinting. The energy it emitted seemed to hum in unison with Maika's Taiyo no Men.
"We thought he was just a strange traveler once," Lyssa muttered.
"And now he's the eye of a rebellion," Tove finished.
Olga, arms crossed, added, "Don't forget the part where we tried to fight him. That went well."
The leaders, stirred by the declarations, exchanged uncertain glances. One leaned toward another. "Is this girl truly who she claims to be? A princess of the true Hi Okami?"
"If that mask is real, then yes," another replied. "And with that crest... she is bound."
Others murmured among themselves:
"This Shin... he's not just gathering warriors. He's rallying legends."
"First the Kitsune girl, then a Dragonheart princess, now a Hi Okami heir? What is he building?"
"A rebellion that might actually succeed," another answered, brows furrowed. "And if so, what comes after?"
"It's almost like the old myths walk again," one elder commented. "The fire and the moon, the dragon and the fox—all tied to one man."
Father Grent approached, his robes sweeping the floor. He studied Maika with a solemn smile. "You bear your father's honor well. The sun has not set on your house. It simply waited... for you."
Maika lowered her head, voice soft. "Thank you. I only hope I make him proud."
Laverna stepped forward, placing a hand on Maika's shoulder. "You already have. We're sisters now. All of us."
Zera nodded. "Your fire burns beside our moonlight and steel."
Tessara smiled quietly and kindly. "And I see your future. It shines with dawn."
Shin looked at them all, the weight of their loyalty pressing gently into his heart through the crest. He felt their belief, their courage, their pain, and their hope.
The chamber, once divided by doubt and history, now hummed with a new pulse.
A fire had been lit.
The rebellion had found its sun.