The great hall of the Central Council Spire shimmered with warm golden light, fed by floating lumina-crystals that drifted lazily near the high ceiling. Four thrones—each carved from materials tied to their respective thresholds—formed a half circle around a single raised platform.

  The council was already gathering when Lord Hyron of Ember Threshold stormed in.

  The door slammed open with a sharp crack, flames flickering at his heels. His armor—obsidian red and heated like a forge—glowed brighter than usual. His jaw was clenched tight enough to crack a tooth.

  Lady Veyna of Lunar Threshold, draped in silver-blue robes, didn’t even flinch. She delicately sipped a moon-tea and continued reading a floating scroll.

  Lord Caelum of Revlon Threshold, relaxed with one leg crossed over the other, didn’t bother looking up. His violet cape draped carelessly over the side of his seat.

  Lord Arven of Verdant Threshold, calm as the forest after rain, offered Hyron a mild nod.

  “Hyron,” Arven greeted. “You seem… irritated.”

  “Irritated?” Hyron hissed, pacing across the marble floor like a caged inferno. “Irritated? The girl is gone. Althea—our only tether to the Roland anomaly—has left the kingdom entirely!”

  Caelum sighed loudly. “Yes. We know. We were all at the meeting yesterday. You gave a whole speech. Quite a long one.”

  Veyna didn’t even glance up from her scroll. “A rather dramatic one, too.”

  Hyron whirled. “This is no time for your calmness. She could be anywhere. She could be headed into danger. She could be approached by—”

  “Hyron.” Arven lifted a hand gently. “We understand your concern. But panicking will not pull her back to Roland.”

  Hyron stopped pacing. “You’re all missing the point. The moment she left Roland… she left our supervision. That violates the entire plan we established.”

  Veyna finally looked up, one eyebrow raised. “The plan you insisted on. Loudly.”

  Caelum chuckled under his breath.

  Hyron shot him a glare before continuing.

  “The Watchers confirm she’s not alone. She has companions. Outsiders. We don’t know their intentions.”

  “We also don’t know that they’re dangerous,” Arven said. “Roland has always been a crossroads. Travelers pass through. It is natural she meets people.”

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  Hyron slammed a fist onto the table. Sparks flew. “She wasn’t supposed to leave Roland!”

  Veyna set her tea aside, speaking with the calm of moonlight. “Hyron, your temper is exhausting. The girl is not a prisoner. She’s an individual with her own will.”

  “She is a potential threat,” Hyron snapped.

  “She is a child,” Veyna countered. “One who has barely begun to understand what she is capable of.”

  Caelum yawned. “Honestly, Hyron, why are you acting like she burned your entire threshold?”

  “She could destabilize everything,” Hyron insisted. “You felt it during the first meeting—we all did. Her arrival was not natural. It carries the scent of old powers.”

  Arven’s green eyes sharpened slightly. “That may be true. But chasing her down won’t change that. She needs space. And guidance. Not chains forged by paranoia.”

  Hyron opened his mouth to argue but shut it again, teeth grinding.

  Caelum looked him up and down. “So what exactly do you want? You called us here after we already discussed this thoroughly.”

  Hyron inhaled sharply. “I called you because the situation changed. She boarded a ship. She’s traveling across the Netheron waters.”

  Veyna blinked once. “Oh. So she’s taking a trip.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t see the crisis.”

  Hyron growled. “Port Centera is full of unsavory factions. The Isles are unpredictable.”

  Caelum tilted his head. “Hyron, everything is unpredictable to you unless you are the one controlling it.”

  Arven stepped forward, placing a calming hand on the table.

  “What do you propose, Hyron?”

  Hyron straightened. “We deploy a Watcher. A single observer. Discreet. No interference unless absolutely necessary.”

  That made the other lords exchange glances.

  Veyna tapped her fingers thoughtfully. “A watcher… not the worst idea. But if Althea senses she’s being tracked, she might panic.”

  Caelum nodded. “And scared people make bad decisions.”

  Hyron’s frustration broke into a more honest expression—fear.

  “She’s powerful. More powerful than she knows. If the wrong people discover her before we understand her origins…”

  He paused. “It could bring ruin to all of our thresholds.”

  Silence lingered.

  Finally, Arven gave a slow nod. “Very well. A watcher. But minimal observation. No contact. No intimidation.”

  Hyron exhaled a long breath of relief.

  Caelum lifted a finger. “If this becomes another one of your overreactions…”

  Veyna added dryly, “We’re revoking your summoning privileges for a month.”

  Hyron glared at both but didn’t argue.

  Arven stepped back into his seat. “I’ll send word to the Watcher division. The quiet ones. No flames, no theatrics.”

  Hyron scowled. “That was one time.”

  Caelum smirked. “One unforgettable time.”

  Veyna waved a hand dismissively. “Are we done here? I have a Lunar Council ritual in an hour and you’re wasting my preparation time.”

  Hyron gave her a dramatic bow. “Forgive me, Lady Veyna, for burdening you with the safety of the world.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Oh please. You do enough melodrama for all of us.”

  Arven brought the meeting to a close.

  “Hyron, we’ll keep an eye on Althea. But let the girl breathe. The more pressure you put on her, the more likely she is to run.”

  Hyron turned away, cloak burning with frustrated embers. “I only want to prevent disaster.”

  Caelum stretched lazily. “Then try not to cause one.”

  Hyron didn’t respond. He strode out of the hall, the doors swinging shut behind him.

  The moment he left, Veyna sighed deeply.

  “Honestly,” she muttered, “if he sets one more meeting over that girl, I’m throwing him off Lunar Spire.”

  Caelum snorted. “I’ll help.”

  Arven only smiled softly, watching Hyron’s fading aura through the closed doors.

  “He fears her,” Arven murmured. “And people fear what they don’t understand.”

  Veyna nodded. “Let him panic if he wants. But the girl… she may surprise us all.”

  Caelum leaned back, eyes thoughtful.

  “She already has.”