To the common observer, four years is a period of slow, rhythmic change. But within the borders of the Secluded State, these years were a whirlwind of divine intervention and industrial revolution. I had long ago realized that borrowed strength was a deceptive comfort; a sword lent by another can be reclaimed, but the strength forged in one’s own meridians is the only true sovereignty. Thus, while the world moved on, I anchored myself within the heart of the Spiritual Land, a sanctuary that had transitioned from a hidden valley into a fortress of unparalleled sophistication.
Under my directives, the transition was surgical. I had tasked Elder 1 and Elder 5 with a monumental architectural feat: the creation of a base that would serve as both a sanctuary and a laboratory. I demanded that th
