The first light of dawn touched the cliffs of Haven with firelight, casting long shadows over the makeshift city. Sylas stood in the central square, watching the morning rituals: glyphs drawn into ash, murmured oaths whispered into flame. The people here didn't pray for salvation. They remembered the fallen and prepared for the battles to come.
Eiren met Sylas at the edge of the square. He carried a stone box, wrapped in crimson cloth.
"This belonged to Malrik," the elder said. "He left it with us before the final purge."
Sylas opened it carefully. Inside lay a single black ring, etched with delicate runes. Its weight felt unnatural in his palm, like holding memory itself.
"What is it?" he asked.
"His last conduit," Eiren replied. "It channels only truth. If you lie while wearing it, it burns."
Alira raised a brow. "Convenient."
Eiren smiled. "It forced Malrik to be the man he claimed to be."
Sylas slid the ring on. It tightened, then grew still.
By noon, the Council gathered in the amphitheater at Haven's heart. Dozens of Seekers lined the stone steps, their faces solemn.
Caeryn addressed the assembly. "We stand at the edge of a second purge. The Council of Order hunts those who remember. They will not stop until every truth is buried. But we will not go quietly."
She turned to Sylas. "Speak."
He stepped forward.
"I'm not your leader. I wasn't chosen by birth or blood. I was chosen by the Root—not to command, but to remember."
He looked out over the crowd. "We have the memory of the fallen. The truth of the betrayed. And the fire of those who refuse to forget."
He raised his hand. The ring glowed softly.
"This is not rebellion. This is restoration."
A hush fell. Then, slowly, hands began to rise. A gesture of unity.
Caeryn nodded. "Then we march."
Their first mission lay in the city of Tharion—a Council outpost built over one of the lesser Veins. It was a fortress of iron and light, guarded by Wardsingers who could burn lies from a man's tongue.
The plan was simple. Alira would infiltrate as a merchant's guard. Sylas, cloaked and hidden, would find the vein chamber and awaken it.
But plans rarely survived first contact.