Wren found Victor two days later, requesting a private conversation with a formality that immediately signaled something significant.
"I want to tell you the full story," she said, once they'd settled into a quiet corner of the facility's smaller library. "About the person I lost. I think you deserve the complete truth, not just the fragments I've shared so far."
Victor nodded, giving her the space to continue at whatever pace she needed.
"His name was Elian," she said, the name clearly carrying weight she hadn't spoken aloud in considerable time. "We trained together, years ago, both of us recruited young into Ashen Circle service. He was identified as a potential counterseal candidate during a threat window similar to what we're facing now, evidence suggesting the Vaelmyr's dormancy was weakening."
"How old was he?" Victor asked.
