The rain had only just stopped when the long, black hovercar slid down the broad streets of Magecity VI.
The neon glow from the towers reflected across its polished surface, a mirror of the city's restless heart. Inside, a man seated in the rear remained silent, his sharp red eyes fixed on the sprawling skyline as if measuring its worth.
Guildmaster Renard Callius of the White Comets, Magecity VI branch, was not a man easily read. His hair, silver streaked with black, was tied neatly at the nape of his neck. His long coat—lined with faint constellations stitched in white thread—marked his station more clearly than any badge.
He carried himself with quiet poise, but those who had worked with him knew that behind his calm was the steel of someone who had buried rivals and outlasted all betrayals.
His assistant, a younger woman named Aelira, adjusted her datapad nervously.
