The summit had barely calmed after the roaring tide of Zera's oath when another light gently pulsed through the chamber. It wasn't loud or proud like Clarent, nor as fierce as Laverna's jamadhars. It was subtle—a glimmer like moonlight on still water, silent yet powerful in its own grace.
Tessara stood quietly, her hands clutching the Kagetsu no Men mask against her chest. The glow from her Servant Crest beneath her shoulder was soft but visible through the sheer back of her robe. Her lips trembled, but she raised her head with conviction.
"There's something you all need to see," she said softly, voice delicate like falling snow, but with a firm core that dared not be ignored.
The council turned, curious. Even Shin stepped back slightly to give her space. His red eyes focused, reading her aura like an open book. With a breath drawn from her soul, Tessara placed the Kagetsu no Men mask upon her face.
Silver light pulsed outward as her body shifted into a foxlike silhouette—graceful ears, nine shimmering tails, her aura now a blend of lunar calm and raw, coiling power. Her robe lifted gently with an unseen wind, caught in the spiritual ripple of her transformation.
Illusions flickered through the air, forming a wide dome above the table like a dome of starlight. Images bloomed from her vision—Hi Okami Renegade agents skulking through the tunnels beneath Valdorne, planning to sabotage the summit, a dark Falzath rune burning on their flesh. One was even posing as a merchant just outside the chamber.
Gasps followed. Guards reached for weapons, some running out to secure the perimeter. Others stared wide-eyed at the dome, entranced by the vision, the eerie silver hue coloring their expressions in reverent dread. But Tessara stood still, her breath shuddering.
"I saw it in a dream," she whispered. "The mask... showed me. And now I see it even more clearly with my crest. I don't want to be afraid anymore."
Shin placed a hand on her shoulder, the touch light but grounding. "You're not. You showed us courage that few could."
Her eyes, silver and glistening with emotion, turned toward him. "I promised I would protect you. And I meant it. Even if I falter, even if I'm afraid... I will always stand with you."
Her crest flared bright, the lunar emblem glowing as moonlight poured from her form. The illusions vanished, leaving only awe behind.
Father Grent, standing near the guards now being treated after a minor scuffle with the would-be imposters, raised his voice. "By the grace of the divine, the stars favor you, young Shin. And the moon blesses your path through this brave maiden."
He turned toward Laverna next, who stood silently beside Shin, her eyes reflecting a rare warmth. "And you, Laverna. Your balance with him, your fire and storm—I've not seen harmony like this since the Old Order."
Laverna's cheeks pinkened slightly, but she nodded, stepping beside Shin. "We fought through hell together. The manor. The chains. The blood in the walls of the Lichtenstein estate... and we made it out. Not as prisoners. As warriors."
Shin placed a hand over his heart. "We survived. Because we had each other."
A hush fell across the summit again, one of reverence and weight.
Tessara removed her mask, her foxlike aura receding. But the glow in her eyes remained. Her presence did not fade with the illusion—it lingered like moonlight even in the absence of the moon.
"I was born to the cult," she said suddenly, louder now, drawing more eyes to her. "Raised in shadow, in silence, within the halls of the Ebon Veil. They told me the Falzath were divine. That my visions were delusions. I believed them... for a time."
Gasps whispered through the chamber.
"As a child, I had more mana than anyone in the cult. I could see flickers of the future, moments out of place. They told me it was madness, that I had to be cleansed. But when I touched the Kagetsu no Men for the first time, I heard her voice—Luna, or Tsukuyomi as the East knows her. She blessed me with her magic. She gave me the power to see the truth. But that gift... took my sight. The mask lets me see again, but it also makes me feel. And now I see the world as it is."
Tessara turned to Shin. "When I met you, I felt hope. Not just mine, but the hope of everyone you've touched. I can feel it through my crest."
Her eyes turned toward the leaders. "I am no longer a servant of lies. I am a guardian of truth. And I will fight for the man who freed me from the shadow I never knew I lived in."
The council murmured in disbelief and awe. One elder leaned to another. "She was born to them... and now fights against them?"
"The moon truly watches this one," another whispered.
General Eldrin stepped forward again. "To deny a girl born of shadow her place in the light would be a shame beyond reason. She has earned her place among us. You remind me of a priestess I knew in my youth. Gentle, soft-spoken, but when she raised her hand in defiance of a tide, the very sea shifted to obey. She called down moonlight on a battlefield once. You shine with the same light, girl. The kind that can guide lost nations."
Tears shimmered in Tessara's eyes, but she stood tall. "I will never return to darkness."
Beside her, Maika nodded in solidarity. "Another sister found her fire."
Zera smiled gently. "The moon and the sun walk side by side once more."
Laverna simply took Tessara's hand. Her grip was warm, grounding, and fierce.
The bond between them, unspoken but unwavering, became the newest light in the rebellion's rising dawn.
And as the council looked upon them—not as broken pieces of the past, but as living beacons of change—the tides of war shifted ever so slightly in the direction of hope.