The room was quiet. Not in the peaceful sense, but in the way of old stone chambers that had heard too many secrets, too many oaths, and far too many betrayals. It was circular—each wall inset with deep alcoves, where masked figures stood like silent sentinels, cloaked in shadows despite the soft blue luminance of energy stones embedded in the ceiling.
Eren stood in the center.
He had expected a grand reception, or at least a formal audience, when summoned by the Galactic Merchant Assembly—one of the most influential groups in the entire Orion Sector. Instead, he was brought here, to a hidden council room buried beneath the Trade Citadel of Auralis Prime.
"Merchant Eren Kain of Terra and the Suraon Cluster," a voice boomed from the darkness, thick with synthetic modulation. "Do you know why you've been summoned?"
