"So, Caelum," Trafalgar said, looking at the body on the bed, "my question is simple. How long has Halbrecht been like this?"
Caelum stood beside him, both of them facing the true and living Orven von Halbrecht. The man lay on a narrow bed in some discreet room tucked away from Aurevane's better streets, breathing evenly, his face carrying the worn irritation of an engineer even in sleep. Trafalgar did not know how Caelum had acquired this place, how many faces had been worn to secure it, or how many people had walked past the door without remembering it existed. At this point, asking felt less like curiosity and more like volunteering for a headache.
Today was the day Orven von Halbrecht woke up.
