Timeline: TC1853.11.15 (Early Evening)
Location: Seven Peaks — Command Center
Six hours.
Raven had spent them on the observation deck, watching Luminous Haven move through its afternoon rhythms while her mind ran calculations she couldn't stop. The sect had grown since she'd left — new residential structures climbing the valley's western slope, living architecture still expanding even without her guidance. Market district traffic had doubled. Training grounds full from dawn to dusk.
All of it running on technomage systems. All of it insulated from what was coming.
The settlements beyond her valley were not.
She'd slept for an hour. Dreamless. Her body had demanded it with the blunt authority of bruised ribs and raw meridians. She'd woken with the taste of ash in her mouth and Elian's small hand resting on her knee — he'd found her on the bench, climbed up beside her, and fallen asleep without a word. Six years old. Knew when mama needed company more than conversation.
