"The greatest secrets of power aren't kept in locked rooms or scrolls of prophecythey're tangled up in pheromones, passion, and furniture that probably needs to be reinforced."
The conversation with Silas had left me significantly lighter. The immediate magical threat had collapsed into the sheer absurdity of "Shadow Musk," and the strategic threat of Riven Ashlock's lineage was now a clear priority. The morning's chaos was shifting from a crushing weight to a complicated, but winnable, chess game. I strode through the quiet corridors of the Northern Keep's strategic wing; my mind focused on the complex movements required to protect Elias and the new "True Center" defense.
