The message arrived through the Tribunal communication arrays at dawn.
No warning.
No preliminary notice.
One moment, Drak'thar's skies were quiet beneath the twin suns. The next, the Palace relay crystals ignited with silver Tribunal encryption strong enough to override three layers of local filtering.
Owen read the message standing alone in the courtyard.
Cold morning light spilled across polished stone beneath his feet. His hybrid form remained partially visible, scales reflecting the dual suns hanging above Drak'thar's floating horizon.
The message hovered before him in crystalline script.
---
TRIBUNAL INVESTIGATIVE DIRECTIVE
Assigned Investigator arrival window: six standard hours.
Purpose: assessment of anomalous newborn entity and direct meeting with Owen Ashford.
Compliance mandatory.
Cloaking countermeasures detected and currently undergoing penetration.
Resistance deemed non-viable.
---
Owen read it twice.
Not because he hadn't understood it the first time.
