**Miriel Dawnwhisper's Log, Supplemental**
**Discovery recording**
**35 days after Rothgard's Fall**
Screens flicker with truth. The fox's smile hides sharp curiosity.
Kitsune Vulpine stood serenely before the floor-to-ceiling windows of the grand suite, gazing out at the growing city as early evening lights began to twinkle across the valley. The soft glow of street lamps and the warm illumination from new buildings painted the landscape in gentle hues of gold and amber. She felt a rare, lingering contentment from the spar earlier that day, her nine tails swaying in slow, satisfied arcs behind her.
A sudden, synchronized "What!?" erupted from the direction of the main door. Kitsune's ears flicked sharply, and her attention shifted from the peaceful view to the entrance. There, huddled together in a tight knot, were Cedric and Miriel, practically climbing over Lord Alister Greymoor as they exchanged frantic whispers. The two apprentices looked as though they had seen a ghost, their eyes wide and their postures rigid with disbelief.
She was half a heartbeat away from launching the pair into the ceiling with a casual flick of wind magic when her gaze caught on the sleek device clutched tightly in Cedric's hand. Recognition sparked instantly. She had seen identical hand comms during the spar—many of the spectators on the training grounds had held them up, recording every moment of the contest. The device was small, elegant, and unmistakably Discovery-designed.
Kitsune's expression softened into a sweet, almost maternal smile. "Oh, Cedric." Cedric's spine visibly shivered. He straightened like a mouse caught in a hawk's shadow, voice squeaking out in a tiny, trembling reply. "Y-yes, Master?" She stepped closer with graceful poise, her nine tails curling gently. "Show me your hand comm. What can it do?" Cedric fumbled the device in his suddenly clumsy fingers, nearly dropping it before managing to hold it up. "I-it… it shows maps of the whole valley from above, Master. And it plays moving pictures, and sends messages instantly, and… and it has a camera that records sound too. I was just testing the zoom function when—"
A bright chime melody suddenly rang out from the large interactive screen on the far wall. The display brightened automatically as a breaking news alert flashed across it. Tania Alvarez appeared, her expression animated as she spoke directly to the camera. "Breaking news from the training grounds this afternoon," she began, her voice carrying clearly through the suite. "In an extraordinary display of skill and sportsmanship, Grand Mage Kitsune Vulpine of Albion faced off against Master Sergeant Elias 'Ghost' Vargas of Delta Force in a full-contact sparring match."
The screen cut to footage captured by a cadet's hand comm. The image was slightly shaky but clear. The newscast slowed the footage to crisp slow motion as the two warriors exploded into a blur of hand-to-hand combat. Kitsune's wind spell lashed out in a razor-sharp crescent while Vargas spun into a devastating roundhouse kick that she barely turned aside. The kick connected with her forearm hard enough to send her skidding back two full paces, her kimono sleeve tearing at the seam. She answered with a fireball that erupted from her palm, the flames roaring toward him in a tight, controlled burst. Vargas rolled under it, the heat singeing the edge of his armor plating, and came up firing his conventional pistol from the hip. The solid round cracked past her shoulder; she slapped the muzzle away with a wind-infused palm, the bullet whining off into the distance as she closed the gap again.
Cedric and Miriel stared in utter shock, their usual frantic energy replaced by stunned silence. They had never seen their master like this—fighting without holding back, her face alight with savage joy, every spell cast with ferocious speed while the Sergeant matched her move for move in a deadly dance of skill and power.
Tania Alvarez's voice continued over the footage. "Witnesses describe the contest as one of the most intense demonstrations of combat prowess ever recorded here at Shire Base. Sergeant Vargas, a highly decorated operator known for his elite close-quarters expertise and multiple tours in high-risk intersystem operations, engaged the Grand Mage in a no-holds-barred test of magic against technology…"
Kitsune's golden-orange eyes sharpened with immediate interest as the report delved into Vargas' background. She stepped closer to the screen, tails stilling as she absorbed every detail—the Sergeant's long service record, his role in training the new Guardian Corps recruits, and his reputation as one of Discovery's most formidable operators. The information intrigued her deeply; this was no ordinary soldier. He was a warrior who had faced real dangers across the stars, and the way he had fought her proved it.
The apprentices remained frozen, eyes glued to the screen, utterly shocked by the feral expression of joy on their master's face. Cedric swallowed hard, still clutching the hand comm. "We… we ordered the SUV through Diplomatic Services and bought it in the city," he blurted out, as if confessing a crime. "The hand comm too. And the pastries, the necklaces, the towels… everything. We didn't know… we just wanted to see the shops." Kitsune's sweet smile never wavered as she continued watching the news cast, her focus fixed on the background information about Sergeant Vargas. "How interesting," she murmured in an almost purr, the soft, velvety tone carrying through the suddenly quiet suite.