Thalen awoke before dawn, the Citadel's towers still shrouded in mist and torchlight. The air was heavy with rain-washed residue, faint smoke lingering in the northern wind. Today, they would formalize the Border Watch tenfold the heartbeat of Reuven's fragile unity. He dressed, sliding the Blade That Breaks into its belt, its faint hum a steely promise against his hip.
At his study desk, parchments waited: Border Watch terms, rotational patrol rosters, mixed-command charters. Next to them, a sealed scroll from the Crown marked "For Ascendant Review Only." He broke it with a steady breath. Inside, crisp ink blurred darker requirements: Crown agents to be embedded in every watch post, full access to intel. Oversight, in Crown hands.
