The second sovereign did not whisper.
She burned.
It began at dawn.
The snow on the lower slopes did not melt.
It recoiled.
White turning to steam in thin spirals as heat rolled across the valley like a distant tide.
Ethan felt it before the system confirmed it.
Dry.
Intense.
Predatory.
Lyssara stood beside him at the outer terrace, frost rising around her ankles.
"This one does not project," she said quietly.
"No," Ethan murmured. "She announces."
The system pulsed.
Sovereign Signature ConfirmedDesignation: Unknown — Thermal DominionIntent: Formal Contact
Kaelith emerged from shadow along the parapet wall.
"Formal," she echoed softly. "How polite."
A streak of gold fire cut across the sky.
Not an attack.
A signal.
It carved a long burning arc through the clouds before dispersing into drifting embers that shimmered like falling stars.
Then—
She descended.
