The palace doors closed behind him with a deep, echoing thud, the kind that carried through stone and bone alike. Gabriel descended the steps at a measured pace, the night air heavy with the faint hum of wards and the subtle ozone‑bite of concentrated ether. The convoy waited where the lanterns pooled their light on polished marble, sleek, black ether-cars lined up like predators at rest.
An attendant stepped forward, opening the door with a silent bow. Gabriel slid into the back seat, the door sealing shut with a soft hiss as the vehicle's crystal core purred to life. For a long moment, the hum of the engine was the only sound, vibrating faintly through the seat beneath him, steady as a heartbeat.
