The city was holding its breath.
Forty-eight hours until the Convergence. Seven Thresholds reclaimed, six still contested. The Circle had pulled back its forces, consolidating around the Grand Threshold beneath the harbor. Mr. Ash hadn't been seen since the City Hall ambush. Marcus's intelligence, channeled through Kiera, suggested the Circle's inner leadership was in crisis - Alistair Thorne was furious about the losses, and several mid-level operatives had quietly defected.
The Ember Network used the pause to regroup. The wounded were treated. The fallen were mourned. The Thresholds that had been reclaimed were reinforced with additional Veil wards. And Leo Chen, Attuned-level Seventh Host, found himself with an evening off.
He didn't know what to do with it.
"I can't remember the la
