# Character State: ch-04

## Dorian Solas
Location: Pyre Academy, Sparring Arena Floor
Physical: Severe magical exhaustion, nerve-scorch from kinetic overload, skin "flayed" sensation.
Emotional: Terrified by the loss of his "absolute zero" identity; experiencing involuntary dependency on Mira’s heat.
Active obligations: Owes Aric/Elara medical restoration (Ch04) -- UNPAID.
Open loops: Dorian/Mira somatic threshold limits (Ch03) -- UNRESOLVED; Dorian/Ministry impact of arena disaster (Ch04) -- UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: Knows his frost-wards failed due to his own distraction/tether interference -- Mira/Lyra do not know.
Arc: 40% -- Transitioned from a passive observer of the tether to an active participant in "fusing" their opposing magics to prevent a catastrophe.
Permanent: YES (Manifested a "Paradox" spell; relationship shifted from professional rivalry to a visceral, biological need for her proximity).

## Mira
Location: Pyre Academy, Sparring Arena Floor (collapsed against Dorian)
Physical: Total mana depletion, cold-shock, minor somatic bruising.
Emotional: Vulnerable, protective, reeling from the "perfect" balance achieved during the channel.
Active obligations: Owes Dorian a debt for grounding her lethal kinetic load (Ch04) -- UNPAID.
Open loops: Mira/Dorian "Binary Star" stability (Ch02) -- UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: Knows she felt a "wild, terrifying joy" in the destructive potential of the Starfall pocket -- Dorian does not know.
Arc: 45% -- Surrendered her role as "sole protector" of the Pyre by trusting her rival with her absolute power.
Permanent: YES (First instance of "The Battery and the Lens" synergy; established total trust in Dorian's competence).

## Kaelen
Location: Sparring Arena, tending to Aric.
Physical: Singed eyebrows/robes from the steam blast.
Emotional: Alarm and heightened suspicion toward the Chancellors’ erratic power.
Active obligations: Owes Mira a report on student casualties (Ch04) -- UNPAID.
Open loops: Kaelen/Dorian trust deficit (Ch02) -- UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: Noticed the Chancellors remained twined together after the danger passed -- Ministry Observers do not know yet.
Arc: 10% -- Realized the merger is no longer just administrative but is physically warping reality.
Permanent: NO

## Lyra
Location: Sparring Arena, tending to Elara.
Physical: Shaken, spectacles fogged/cracked.
Emotional: Professional horror at the failure of Spire stabilization lattices.
Active obligations: Owes Dorian a calibration audit of the broken lattices (Ch04) -- UNPAID.
Open loops: Lyra/Ministry Starfall report (Ch04) -- UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: Documented the exact moment the Starfall pocket inverted the Mercury-Glass -- The Chancellors do not know.
Arc: 05% -- Witnessed the first successful "Paradox" magic in centuries.
Permanent: NO

# World State: ch-04

## NPC Memory
- Aric (Pyre Student): TRAUMATIZED -- Nearly boiled from the inside out -- Likely to fear his own Chancellor’s "New" magic.
- Elara (Spire Student): COMATOSE -- Mana-stripped by the Starfall loop -- Will remain a medical drain on the Union resources.
- Ministry Observers (Galleries): APPALLED -- Witnessed a lethal failure of the Union's first public act -- Will likely trigger a "Correction Clause."

## Faction Attitudes
- The Ministry of Magic: HOSTILE -- See the arena disaster as proof that the Chancellors cannot control their students or their bond.
- Pyre Faculty: REBELLIOUS -- Blame Dorian’s "interference" for the injury of their star student, Aric.

## Active World Events
- The Starfall Drift: Active and accelerating. Pockets are now moving over civilized centers (The Academy), not just the wastes.
- The Transition Stasis: The frozen steam monument in the arena is now a permanent magical landmark that cannot be melted by conventional fire.