Inside the largest tower of the Tenth-Floor City, the air was thick with the weight of arguments that refused to die.
For three straight days, the ten rulers of the city had been trapped around the same circular table — ten carved chairs representing ten factions that barely tolerated one another. Men and women, young and old, rich and weary, all locked in a stalemate that had grown as stagnant as the city they ruled.
At the head of the table sat Waldo, the host of the First Floor — a gaunt old man draped in ceremonial robes, his eyes sharp and his tone sharper.
"Iliyi," Waldo said, breaking the silence with a voice like cold steel, "you should withdraw from the council. Your Yi family no longer commands a Tier Six powerhouse. You're unfit to hold a seat among us."
Across from him, Liyi Yi stiffened. Her green eyes glinted with defiance, even as the others turned to watch.
