Velexaria strode across the shimmering marble floor of the Imperial Mage Assembly, her dark
robes fanning out like liquid shadows. Her eyes glittered with a faint challenge as she regarded
the two towers already present.
A smirk curled her lips. "So… are we third to arrive?"
A deep laugh rumbled from the front of the Fire Tower's ranks.
"Yes, you are," came the booming reply.
The speaker stepped forward—a towering man whose mere presence seemed to radiate heat. He
stood well over six and a half feet tall, built like a fortress of stone and muscle. Broad shoulders
strained the seams of his crimson mage's robe, which was embroidered with roaring golden
flames. His hair fell in thick maroon waves past his shoulders, catching sparks of the chandelier
light as though embers lived within the strands. Beneath heavy brows, eyes the color of molten
gold blazed with a restless energy.
"Inferax Blazegale," Velexaria said smoothly, inclining her head with the faintest mockery. "I see
