The alliance did not feel like unity.
It felt like a blade balanced on its edge.
One wrong move—
And it would cut everyone involved.
Aerin felt it in every current.
The Wardens had settled into a wide defensive ring around the palace ruins, but they were no longer the only power present. The forces of the four kingdoms hovered at varying distances, each maintaining space, each watching the others as much as they watched the ocean beyond.
No one trusted anyone.
Not fully.
Not yet.
And yet—they had agreed.
For now.
"We need structure," Caelum said, his voice carrying calmly despite the tension threaded through the water.
He stood slightly ahead of Aerin, not shielding her, but anchoring the space around her. His presence was steady, deliberate—the kind of authority that didn't need to be forced to be recognized.
"If we're going to hold against the surface, we cannot react blindly," he continued. "We need coordinated defense lines, scouting, and—"
