Mira was taken to the medical wing by Veylan — not through official channels but through the seminar's private infrastructure, bypassing the standard intake process. Healer Mirenne, who had treated my ribs after the entrance exam and had been read into the seminar's classified status by Orvyn's authorization, would handle Mira's care without generating paperwork that could expose her true affinity.
The remaining team members stood on Cloud Terrace Four in the particular silence that followed revelations.
Liora broke it first. Of course.
"Infernal," she said. "The fire girl has a Ducal-house bloodline and nobody knew."
"Somebody knew," Nyx said. The shadow's voice was flat. Professional. The voice of an operative who'd just identified an intelligence thread worth pulling. "Soul Binding requires a practitioner of significant skill. The person who sealed her core knew what they were hiding and why. Finding that person tells us whether Mira was being protected or being stored."
