The Union command center...
It was a cavernous chamber carved of steel and reinforced crystal, its ceiling practically lost behind layers of suspended holo-displays.
Massive screens arced along the far wall, each one filled with shifting data, mana density maps, seismic readouts, leyline distortions, threat indices scrolling in muted reds and ambers.
Smaller projections hovered above rows of consoles where analysts and officers worked, fingers moving across light-keys, eyes looking from screen to screen.
At the heart of the room stood a raised command platform.
A female officer in a crisp Union uniform stepped forward, her boots echoing sharply against the polished floor. She held a glowing data-slate close to her chest.
"Commander," she said, stopping a respectful distance away. "We're detecting gradually increasing waves of monster mana approximately five hundred kilometers outside the city walls."
The commander didn't turn at first.
