He collapsed into the strategy room in a slump the crystal disintegrating into harmless dust. The wild little speck of life didn't accompany him; it stayed put, a lasting imperfection, in the Queen's domain.
The space burst into noise. Celeste fell down sobbing from a mix of relief and fatigue. Tania quickly came to his side searching for wounds that were invisible. Morgan and Sierra held weapons ready watching for dangers that never appeared.
The Angel of Death aided him in standing. His grip was steady, anchoring. "You remain whole. The splice remains secure.. It is… marked."
Cassiathon sensed it. The areas where he had almost been ripped apart remained sore and delicate. Although intact he had endured strain. He provided an account detailing the Gallery, the proposal, the rescue effort and his turbulent retaliation.
Once he concluded the room fell quiet taking in the magnitude of what had occurred.
"She aimed to co-create reality alongside a Primordial " Morgan eventually whistled. "That's… that's no battle strategy. That's a crusade."
"And you refused " Sierra stated, a trace of admiration breaking through her composure. "You declined divinity. Urinated in her terrarium instead. Daring."
"It alters her calculation " the Angel remarked, his thoughts processing the consequences. "You cease to be a potential ally or a straightforward hindrance. You become a contaminant, to her perspective. An opposition. She will aim to destroy you not control you. The tactics will be… total."
The burden of that descended upon them. The cautious investigation, the examinations the snares had ended. They had entered fundamental confrontation.
"We have to speed up the alliance " Cassiathon said, his tone harsh. "She will target me. At that point she won't mind any collateral damage. We must ensure the collateral is prepared and linked."
Jareth, who had been paying attention joined the conversation. "The channels are alive with chatter. News about your actions on the Plains is circulating. It's inspiring courage, in people. They're naming it the 'Resonance Defense.' They're intrigued. Yet intrigue doesn't equate to an army."
"Then we offer them more than defense " Cassiathon said, a fresh concept rising from the remnants of his trial. "We provide them with a trade. Not just reciprocal safety. Shared assets. Wisdom. Jareth your people can instruct on mining and construction in damaged areas. Tania, Celeste—your expertise in alchemy and healing. Sierra—training, in scouting and security. We create a network of aid not a network of intimidation. A network that empowers all not merely makes them tougher to survive."
It was the next logical step. From protector, to symbol, to facilitator.
The upcoming weeks passed in a whirlwind of efforts, tense bargaining and meticulous trust establishment. Cassiathon served as the face yet the actual labor was carried out by the experts. The initial agreement was secured with Hope's Respite. Following that alliances were formed with a merchant group named the Sun-Striders. Finally a treaty was made with a concealed archive-library called the Athenaeum of Broken Code.
The "Resonant Compact" came into existence. It was delicate, emerging. It marked a beginning.
However as the network expanded the darkness encircling it intensified. Scouts observed a rise in patrols, along the borders of allied lands. Unusual quiet blights manifested on crops not destroying them but transforming them into flawless duplicates. This marked a strategy—not direct attack but the contamination of the very concept of nourishment.
Vernia was no longer just attacking them. She was critiquing their way of life.