The morning sun cast long shadows across the Light Guardian's main facility as Ethan's inner circle gathered for what had become their monthly strategy meeting.
The familiar faces around the table—Kaelan with his silver-marked mask catching the light, Lysander's tactical mind already processing the reports scattered before them, Eyra's efficient organization evident in every perfectly arranged document—represented the closest thing Ethan had to family outside his blood relatives.
What none of them suspected was that their leader's influence now extended far beyond anything they could imagine.
"The intelligence reports keep getting better," Eyra observed, shuffling through documents that painted their enemies' activities in remarkable detail.
"It's like we can predict their moves weeks in advance. House Stormcaller's resource allocation, the Continental Intelligence Council's investigation priorities, even family succession politics—everything seems to work in our favor lately."
