"The political atmosphere wasn't merely tense; it was vibrating with imminent, cataclysmic action. I had to look past the posturing and into the heart of the threat."
NIKO'S POV
Hours after Silas left my infirmary, the silence in my chambers became a suffocating blanket. It wasn't the natural quiet of the Northern Keep; it was the unnerving stillness that precedes a seismic event. As the Seer of the North, I sensed the political atmosphere wasn't merely tense; it was vibrating with imminent, cataclysmic action. The cumulative pressure from the recent violence and the deep sense of instability surrounding the border demanded that I see the source of the coming storm.
The stakes were too high, the fatigue of the command structure too deep. I had to look past the political posturing and into the heart of the threat.
