Chapter 34. Before: Luca

Luca dresses in ceremonial armor the morning after secretly marrying Maris Casperia, reflecting on their vows and the irrevocable bond he feels. Called to Kastor’s deathbed, Luca reveals he has taken the Casperia name, ensuring the Matius line ends with Kastor. He removes Kastor’s medallion, wears it to claim the Forum seat, and leaves his uncle to die knowing the betrayal.

That night at the theater, the Citadel gathers for Vitrasian’s new play. Expecting propaganda to soothe unrest, Luca instead witnesses a scathing allegory: gods hurl javelins that cut down Magistrates before a backdrop of rotting fields. The audience grows unsettled as the message implicates the Forum and signals divine disfavor.

Concerned, Luca searches backstage and finds Rhea Vitrasian in her study. He confronts her about the danger of the play. Rhea coolly outlines seven years of declining harvests, the exhausted granaries, and a predictable cycle: famine, scapegoating, and war to renew Isara’s identity. She argues the problem now demands “Harötha”—atonement—the gods are hungry for blood.

As legionnaires approach, Rhea accepts the consequences. She burns a parchment, igniting oil she has spread across the room, and watches her life’s work go up in flames. She tells Luca it is too late, and the inferno consumes her records as soldiers arrive, signaling the end of her tenure and the escalation of Isara’s crisis.