The magnificent grand assembly hall of the Grandos citadel hummed with an electric, hushed intensity. High-arched stained-glass windows cast deep violet and amber hues across the vast expanses of white marble, while the intricate silver wards embedded in the floor pulsed with a steady, rhythmic luminescence.
I stood at the center of the elevated white-stone dais, my hands resting lightly against the polished mahogany lectern. Before me sat representatives from forty-two sovereign territories—kings, high chancellors, trade ministers, and delegates whose predecessors had spent centuries locked in bitter territorial conflicts.
Every eye in the room was fixed on me.
"For generations," my voice rang out, clear, resonant, and entirely devoid of hesitation, echoing off the vaulted limestone ce
