Valenna's voice curled through him, cool and low:
'She's right. You are no longer anonymous. Silence worked when you were a shadow. Now you're a contender.'
Soren kept his face still.
Mira leaned in, lowering her voice to a private edge. "You're being positioned. And not by us."
"By Merrow."
"By Merrow," she echoed. "And once they stake a claim, the others react. Rival Houses push back. Alliances shift. People pick sides."
Soren said nothing.
Mira pointed at him, jaw clenched. "And you—Coren Vale—you don't have a side."
He knew.
He'd always known.
That was the danger of a false name.
A false history.
A false origin.
He had no House.
No lineage.
Nothing for anyone to trace.
Which made him…
Claimable.
Expendable.
Weapon-shaped and ownerless.
Valenna whispered:
'This is why I told you to stay unseen. Strength invites interest. Interest invites control.'
Soren felt the truth slot into place like a blade finding the seam in armor.
