Velrion stood by the window a while longer after the last report settled into his mind. His gaze fixed on the quiet expanse of Leonora below while his thoughts moved far beyond what his eyes could see.
The city looked stable and almost peaceful from this height. Its lights steady and its structure unchanged, yet he knew that beneath that calm surface something uncertain had already begun to take shape.
The presence of the three world travelers alone had already disrupted the balance he and the others had carefully maintained, but what troubled him most was not their strength or their ability to bypass his defenses. It was their intent. Or rather, the lack of clarity in it.
If they had come to seize the Sky Anchor, he would have prepared for conflict. If they had come to destroy it, he would have begun containment measures. But this… this silent observation, this patience, meant they were calculating something far more complex than simple action. And that left him blind.
