(Meanwhile, The Outer Universe)
While fifteen years had passed for Leo inside the Time-Stilled World, only fifty five days had passed in the outer universe, and yet, even within that short span, the balance of power had shifted in ways that none of the Great Clan Gods could afford to ignore.
Because after the showdown on Helion-6 and Mauriss's successful escape, not a single one of them had enjoyed even a night of uninterrupted rest, as the looming threat of retaliation hung over them like a blade suspended by a thread, ready to fall at any given moment.
The battle lines had already been drawn.
Mauriss was no longer a rival.
He was now an enemy of the state.
And although the truth of what had transpired had not yet been spread among the general populace, the upper echelons of power already understood the gravity of the situation, as quiet preparations began to take shape behind closed doors, while surveillance tightened and contingencies were drafted in silence.
