On a random day, Crimson Hawk received a news at dawn.
The Hawk Nest was louder than usual that morning. Not with laughter or drinking, but with the sharp, restless energy that always preceded danger. Messengers moved quickly through the compound. Formation lights flared above the command hall. Renka had called an emergency assembly.
Vahn stood among the mercenaries as they gathered, his posture relaxed, his presence deliberately muted. He could already feel it. A disturbance in the flow of the Astralis Empire. Not large enough to shake worlds, but sharp enough to draw predators.
Renka stood at the head of the hall, both hands resting on the crystal table. The map above it shimmered, shifting rapidly between maritime routes, sect territories, and red warning sigils.
"This is not a routine contract," she said, her voice cutting through the noise. "This is a hunt."
The room quieted instantly.
Zutian leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowed. "Whose blood?"
