Commander Vex'ahlia sat with perfect military posture, her black eyes constantly assessing, her silver-white hair pulled back in severe military style. She represented Loki's two hundred elite forces, and her professional competence showed in every precisely measured word.
And at the head of the table, radiating power that made the air itself feel heavier, sat Seraphina.
She had arrived four hours ago, and her presence had immediately transformed the settlement's atmosphere. Where before there had been organized determination mixed with underlying fear, now there was focused intensity that bordered on aggressive confidence. Seraphina brought with her not just two hundred elite corruption specialists but centuries of combat experience and the absolute certainty of someone who'd survived countless wars.
She also brought barely controlled fury that Satou had left without telling her.
