"When the enemy becomes a wound in the world itself, strategy must become sanctuary not to chase ghosts, but to harden what remains."
The silence that followed Taemin's terrifying insight that Vorath was now an uncontained, reality-breaching projectile was a vacuum of tactical possibility. My mind, usually capable of mapping out contingencies for any conventional threat, was struggling to process the idea of an enemy who could simply vanish through a localized tear in existence. I felt Juno's hand settle firmly on my shoulder, a silent, stabilizing force. He was processing the divine and the impossible with the same chilling efficiency as he processed a ledger. Alaric Vayne, however, did not allow the shock to linger. Having faced the impossible and survived, the King did not hesitate. The Alpha Ruler in him discarded the old plan instantly and rebuilt a new one from the foundation of the disaster.
