"Some bonds are not forged in fire, but in the quiet certainty of being understood."
KAEL'S POV
The study had always been my sanctuary, a perfectly calibrated environment where knowledge converged. The air held the clean, resonant signature of my life: the sharp metallic tang of chemical solvents, the warmth of aged mahogany, and the familiar scent of my mate, Ostel parchment and crisp Northern wind.
It was well past midnight. I had been immersed in the complex schematics for the Citadel's new medical telemetry system, my concentration total. My pen had glided across the chemical-proof notepad, charting the precise stability equation required for the magnetic dampeners. This deep focus felt like a state of meditation, a Beta-Omega rhythm of intellectual necessity.
