"Have you read the newspaper?" the vice-headmaster asked the man sitting across from him.
The two older men—close friends for decades—were having breakfast inside the quiet office when the bald man suddenly raised the question.
The other man did not lift his eyes from the table, but the faint crease between his brows made it clear that he had heard every word.
After a brief pause, Edward—Headmaster of Ardentia—finally spoke, his tone calm but heavy. "The sudden surge in Death Sinks. It appears he was right."
David nodded slowly. "The Archon's appearance has always brought disaster with it. This time is no different. Something has changed." His fingers tightened around the edge of his plate. "And not for the better."
Across many regions, Death Sinks had begun appearing far more frequently than they ever had in the distant past. What was once considered a rare calamity was now becoming alarmingly common.
