The war chamber of the Sun Palace was a vast circular room where the empire's greatest strategic minds had gathered for centuries to plan campaigns and assess threats. Tactical maps covered the walls in meticulous detail, showing every county, every major settlement, every strategic position that mattered to imperial defence. But today, the familiar space felt different, charged with a tension that spoke of threats beyond conventional warfare.
Elara Va Ironblade entered the chamber with the measured stride of someone who carried the weight of terrible knowledge. Her armor gleamed with fresh polish, but her eyes held the focused intensity of a strategist who had connected dots that others couldn't yet see. The maps and reports in her hands represented weeks of careful investigation, and the conclusions they supported would reshape how the empire understood its enemies.
