"The magical world," Draven said, "is suffering from systemic denial. Denial of mechanisms. Denial of cost. Denial of accountability."
He paused, and the pause was not empty.
Amberine could practically hear quills lifting. Spell-tablets priming. Crystal recorders syncing. Somewhere, a scribe's stasis charm clicked, locking ink at the exact moment of capture.
The hall didn't just listen.
It prepared evidence.
"And denial creates monsters."
A sharp, involuntary inhale from someone in the upper tiers. A nervous cough strangled halfway. Amberine felt her stomach drop—not from the word monsters, but from how calmly he said it, like it was not a metaphor but a diagnosis.
Somewhere to the front, Queen Aurelia sat motionless.
Her gaze didn't waver.
