# Character State: ch-08

## Mira Vasquez
Location: Chancellor’s Sanctum, Pyre Academy
Physical: Exhausted; residual thermal flush; minor mana-burns on forearms.
Emotional: Betrayed and protective; intense somatic resonance with Dorian.
Active obligations: Owes the Ministry a response to the "Correction Clause" (Ch08) -- UNPAID.
Open loops: Mira/Dorian physical feedback loop (Ch03) -- UNRESOLVED; Mira/Dorian/Malchor "Severance" threat (Ch08) -- UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: Knows she would rather burn the Academy than allow the Ministry to sever the bond -- Dorian does not know.
Arc: 75% -- Chose to defy the Imperial High Inquisitor to protect her rival/partner.
Permanent: YES

## Dorian Solas
Location: Chancellor’s Sanctum, Pyre Academy
Physical: Right hand tremor; skin sensitive to heat; metabolic depletion.
Emotional: Stoic but fearful of the "Severance Key"; experiencing involuntary dependency.
Active obligations: Owes Mira administrative cooperation (Ch01) -- PAID.
Open loops: Dorian/Mira somatic threshold limits (Ch03) -- UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: Discovered the "Severance Key" is actually a God-Slayer shard -- Mira does not know.
Arc: 80% -- Surrendered his "absolute" composure by physically leaning on Mira during the confrontation.
Permanent: YES

## Kaelen — DECEASED (Ch04)
Established: Died during the stabilization failure at the Obsidian Bridge.
Legacy: His absence leaves Mira without a grounding second-in-command, forcing her to rely entirely on the bond with Dorian.

## Lyra
Location: Great Hall Corridor, Pyre Academy (outside Sanctum)
Physical: No injuries.
Emotional: Terror and professional shock; feeling the weight of the Ministry's threat.
Active obligations: Owes the Ministry the stabilization audit (Ch08) -- UNPAID.
Open loops: Lyra/Stabilization Lattice integrity (Ch08) -- UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: Noticed the "Binary Star" sigil glowing through Dorian's sleeve -- The Ministry does not know yet.
Arc: 15% -- Forced to witness the legal dismantling of her school's sovereignty.
Permanent: NO

## High Inquisitor Malchor (Ministry)
Location: Chancellor’s Sanctum, Pyre Academy (leaving)
Physical: No injuries.
Emotional: Arrogantly confident; predatory.
Active obligations: Owes the Emperor the successful "Correction" of the Chancellors (Ch08) -- UNPAID.
Open loops: Malchor/Severance Key activation (Ch08) -- UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: The "Severance Key" will likely kill the weaker anchor during separation -- The Chancellors do not know.
Arc: 10% -- Established as the final external antagonist for the treaty.
Permanent: YES

# World State: ch-08

## NPC Memory
- High Inquisitor Malchor (Ministry): HOSTILE -- Threatened to execute the Correction Clause -- Intends to forcibly break the tether.
- The Student Body (Pyre/Spire): PANICKED -- Witnessed the Ministry's arrival -- Expecting a violent dissolution of the Union.

## Faction Attitudes
- The Ministry of Magic: AGGRESSIVE/PREDATORY -- No longer interested in a merger; seeking to strip the mana-wells.
- Pyre/Spire Faculty: TERRIFIED/UNITED -- Common threat of the Ministry has turned their rivalry into a desperate alliance.

## Active World Events
- The Starfall Drift: Critical mass approaching; the sky is a "pulsing violet" over the Academy.
- The Correction Clause: Activated by the Ministry; 24 hours remain until "mandatory severance."