Rowan D’Arcy, Arcane, High Magister
Elara Whitcombe, Arcane
Commander Thane Blackwall, Guardians
Captain Mirelle Hargreaves, Guardians
Chancellor Edwin Hawthorne, Mortal Affairs
Lady Seraphine Moreland, Mortal Affairs
Rowan’s eyes sharpened. “Councilor Shen. You felt the surge.”
Mingxi bowed. “Yes, High Magister. But before addressing that, I have something urgent to report that possibly could be related.”
Rowan gestured sharply. “Then begin.”
Mingxi stepped into the center of the seal, breath steady, discipline coiled tight.
“Earlier today, while conducting a routine inspection of the sealed dragon vein in Normandy,” he began, “the wards registered no disturbance. Then a woman appeared.”
Elara’s voice lowered. “A mortal?”
“No,” Mingxi said. “Or not fully. One half of her appeared mortal. The other was corrupted. Alive. Pulsing. Sentient.”
Blackwall’s gauntlet clenched. “Describe the corruption.”
“Black veins,” Mingxi replied. “Fine. Delicate. Like broken porcelain. One eye was a pitch-black void seething with a hatred that felt aware.”
Seraphine drew a quiet breath.
“She spoke to me,” Mingxi continued. “Lucid. Intentional. She said she was waiting for someone she called ‘my Poppet.’”
Rowan’s expression darkened. “And then?”
“She stepped backward into the sealed vein,” Mingxi said. “Without resistance. The stone parted for her alone. The seal opened.”
The chamber went utterly still.
“And she vanished.”
“How long before the surge?” Rowan pressed.
“One… perhaps two seconds,” Mingxi replied.
Elara whispered, “They’re connected.”
“Possibly,” Mingxi said. “Or the second event was a reaction to the first.”
Hawthorne muttered, “Or a consequence.”
Mingxi continued, “The leyline flared. Silver.”
Elara straightened. “Moon resonance?”
“Indeed,” Mingxi acknowledged. “The lunar frequency from a matching soul.”
Rowan’s gaze sharpened. “The origin.”
