Cassian POV
The summons came at twilight.
Not spoken. Not written.
Felt.
A thread of silver heat pulling at the base of my skull — old magic, ancient protocol. The Celestial Order did not knock on doors.
It entered your bloodstream.
I closed my eyes for a moment before answering.
Then I stepped into the inner chamber of the Arcanum.
The air was different there.
Heavier. Older.
The circular hall beneath the tower had no windows, no torches. Light bled faintly from the floor itself — constellations etched into stone glowing in slow, pulsing rhythm.
Thalen stood at the far end.
Hands clasped behind his back. Expression unreadable.
He did not greet me.
He did not need to.
"They've convened," he said.
I swallowed once.
"I felt it."
A ripple passed through the floor.
The constellations brightened.
And then the chamber shifted.
The walls did not move — but the space expanded, bending into something larger than architecture should allow.
