Silence.
Not the silence of peace—but the kind that creeps in after thunder, as if the universe itself is holding its breath.
That was the mood aboard the Unyielding Trust.
The Sovereign Ring's victory over the traitorous Lok Atren had not brought relief.
Instead, it stirred something darker.
Something older.
And far more dangerous.
The Message in the Void
Vael entered Kairos' war room without knocking—a breach of protocol, but the look on his face made it forgivable.
"Intercepted this fifteen minutes ago. Triple-encrypted. Root code not from the Nexus."
Kairos raised a brow. "Then who?"
Vael dropped the data slate onto the table.
It opened with a whisper.
A voice followed—metallic, distorted, deliberately androgynous.
"Sovereign Kairos.You burn bright for one born of dust and desperation.We are the markets beneath markets.The hands that hold the hands that sign.You killed a broker.Now you are invited to the table."
The logo that followed was not in any Nexus registry.
