The Council did not attack.
That was the first thing Valentine understood.
They stood in a wide arc across the ancient platform, power flaring, yes, but restrained. Calculated. Afraid.
Not of her strength.
Of what she now knew.
“You always talk like judges,” Valentine said, her voice carrying effortlessly across the space. “As if truth needs permission to exist.”
The land pulsed beneath her feet, brighter now, fully awake. The markings along the platform burned with steady light, no longer reactive, but aligned.
The First Territory was no longer dormant.
It was operational.
“You misunderstand your position,” the First Councilor replied. His tone was calm, but his eyes betrayed him. “This system does not belong to you.”
Valentine nodded slowly. “That is where you made your first m
