A month has passed, and today is the day of Arlo’s commencement ceremony for The Order. It’s a grand, formal affair, a tradition steeped in centuries of honor and power. Arlo has already taken his mother's seat as the second-highest-ranking member, but this ceremony is meant to solidify his place, to publicly acknowledge his status among the most powerful people in the world. It’s supposed to be a day of celebration, of respect, but there’s a heaviness hanging over it that none of us can shake.
Even as the final preparations are made, I can feel the tension simmering just beneath the surface. Arlo has been consumed with finding my father, Samuel. For weeks, he’s chased lead after lead, but they’ve all led to frustrating dead ends. His patience is wearing thin, and I can see it in the way
