# Chapter One

The wind at the center of the Obsidian Bridge tasted of ash and ozone. Mira clutched her right hand, her blood slick against the dark stone, weaving into the ritual geomancy that now hummed beneath her feet—a lattice of violet fire that seemed to strain against the very air. Across the span, Dorian Solas stood like a statue of ice, his own palm dripping onto the same line of power. His expression was a mask of marble, though the way his fingers flexed against the cold stone betrayed the absolute zero of his usual discipline.

"It is done," the Emperor’s voice echoed from the high balcony, more command than observation. The words felt heavy, coated in that cloying scent of burnt sugar that always seemed to linger in the air when he exerted his will.

Mira felt it then—a sudden, violent intrusion of cold into her marrow. It wasn't just the temperature; it was a rhythmic, crashing wave of Dorian’s terror, muffled and rigid, bleeding through a tether that shouldn't exist. She gasped, her knees buckling as the gravity of his presence suddenly had a physical weight, pulling at her center. Her magic, usually a roaring hearth of violet fire, flickered and bowed toward him, the flames losing their jagged edge as they leaned into his frost.

Through the connection, a jagged, technical realization spiked into her mind, forced there by the sheer proximity of their souls. It wasn't a spell. The tether felt ancient, heavy, and metallic—the unmistakable resonance of Progenitor technology.

"This is... suboptimal," Dorian said, his voice straining to maintain its usual formal cadence, though his breath hitched. He looked at her, and for a fleeting second, the wall of his composure cracked. "The evidence suggests the Emperor has facilitated a biological integration beyond the scope of the written Accord."

"Obviously," Mira snapped, her voice a ragged edge of its usual self. She tried to pull her hand away, but the movement sent a jolt of sympathetic pain through her chest that made her lungs seize. "Stars' sake, Dorian, I can feel your heart beating. It’s—stop doing that. Stop thinking about the mechanics and help me break this."

"To attempt an immediate Severance Pattern without stabilizing our mutual mana-pools would be... ill-advised," Dorian replied, his words becoming more precise, more archaic, as he fought for control. "The circumstances are not auspicious for a display of Pyre Academy’s typical impulsiveness."

"Impulsiveness? I’m trying to breathe, you frozen statue!" Mira’s violet fire flared, then instantly died down, suppressed by the sheer vacuum of his proximity. "It feels like my skin is being rewritten. This isn't a merger. It's a cage."

Dorian’s gaze shifted toward the Emperor, then back to mira. "This represents a situation requiring our immediate and undivided attention," he whispered, the sheer weight of the admission hanging between them.

The ritual light began to fade, leaving them anchored to one another in the gathering dark.

***

Back at the Academy, Kaelen watched the light of the bridge through his sanctum window, his singed robes a reminder of how close they had all come to incineration. He began the report, his pen scratching against the parchment, already calculating how to shield the Pyre from the Spire’s arrogance. The merger was signed in blood, but the war for the soul of the Starfall had only just begun.