Hajin stood before the tactical map table, his six celestial rings rotating in a wide, luminous halo above his shoulders.
Hajin shifted two unit markers across the map and waited for Rumi to show which prepared route could take the heavier load.
Beside him, Rumi stretched her four amber wings with an energetic yawn, her lynx tail swaying with restless excitement.
Through thirty paces of solid granite, Nari's spatial link remained crystal clear along the scarlet ribbon bound to the piton.
"Today we conduct the formal operational calibration for both fourth-wing authorities," the young lord announced to his assembled companions.
"We do not advance into the lower archive core until we understand every boundary and limitation of your new powers."
"Many Roads and No Exit operate on entirely contradictory spatial philosophies," Lucan noted, adjusting his brass measuring calipers.
"One power multiplies navigational choice, while the other enforces total territorial denial."
