Among the chaos of battle, Yellum's gaze fixed on one particular fighter, Alen.
At first, she didn't recognize him. His movements were too fast, his fighting style too unorthodox for any mage she knew. But as he turned, the glow of his gloves caught her eye, and it finally clicked.
She remembered that face.
Alen had appeared once or twice in the public sphere, not as some celebrity or political figure, but as a decorated military mage. He'd stood on podiums during major academy events, sometimes acting as a spokesperson, other times demonstrating advanced spellwork.
That was where she'd seen him before. And now he was here, in the middle of their secret operation.
'He's with the military,' she realized, her eyes narrowing. 'But why? Why are they here? Is this some rogue division acting on their own? Or… have the Grand Magus turned on each other?'
