The seal cracked with a sound too sharp for parchment.
Raven's eyes darted across the ink, each line burning deeper than the last. His grip tightened imperceptibly on the letter.
By the time he lowered it, the air around the balcony had frozen.
"They struck the neutral faction's hall," Raven said softly, though the words seemed to cut through every heartbeat. "Six generals of the demon army. The Vaise informants and two of our elders who were hiding and keeping an eye on things had to reveal themselves, but… There is no hope for them to win alone."
The weight of the revelation spread like smoke.
One by one, Clara, Siris, Selena, Lia, Rufus, Jake, Jessy, and Graye converged upon the balcony.
Unlike others, they didn't need Raven to tell them what was going on to understand the situation.
Their faces were hard as steel, shadows of torchlight flickering in their eyes.
Even the nobles—though they couldn't hear the exact words—felt the storm in the air.
