Dominion The Tira Conspiracy | TSC Dominion of Tira

[Nilira Vornix]

Tag: Kirie Anet Raine Astra Sadow Kaelyr Cassilde Vortayn
Outfit
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Pain. Sweet, sweet pain. Bright, red hot pain. It was coursing through Nilira, the agony of the hum growing louder and louder, drowning out her own thoughts. She practically bathed in the experience however, savouring the silence of pain as she closed her eyes, holding onto the sensation so desperately. Even the sensation of pure agony could be so enticing to one void of most sensation.

Then came the energy from the stone, enhanced far beyond what Nilira could have expected. A rush of warmth once more coursing through the Acolyte's veins, tasting better than anything she had stolen from someone else...yet like any good thing, it inevitably ended. The heat, the pain, the life, all returned back to nothing. A small sigh escaping her lips, disguised amidst her pants for breath as her eyes fluttered open to look around at the others, keeping herself as secluded as she could from the rest.

Her gaze fell upon The Thief, as she seemed surprised at the fact that the ritual had worked. Had this all be some kind of test? An experiment?...Well, of course it had been. But that didn't necessarily mean she was happy to have been used as a test subject in a way. For now, she slid that memory into her ever growing list of grudges until she once more turned her attention back to Kirie, as the woman spoke about it feeling different.

Well, obviously.

Nilira didn't give that thought any words. Instead she just expressed it through her gaze, raising an eyebrow as if that had been the most ridiculous question someone could have asked her. Shaking her head afterwards as she turned her gaze towards the Stone and contemplated things within her mind.

 

[Anet Raine]

​

Tags: Kirie | Nilira Vornix | Kaelyr
Cassilde Vortayn | Astra Sadow | OPEN

Such a paltry thread of life was taken and elevated, transforming the wriggling forms into an act with meaning.

Anet delighted in it - the energy and the hum that made her eardrums ache. More so that their little test worked.

The Sith looked at Kirie, just as the taste of power flowed back into them. She knew the woman never lingered far from her mind. So, Anet reached, inviting her to share each thought and feeling across the connection. For Anet, the distinction between pain and ecstasy evaporated. There was only sensation, and the echo of life taken; the power of the Force, and of the Standing Stone.

When the light faded, so too did that heightened connection. It was as if she had been restrained by a taut rope, only now it snapped! Anet recoiled, physically, and stumbled forward.

She snickered under her strained breath. "Well... That... That was good." She appraised. "That is to say, yes, I felt it."

Anet moved and took her place beside Kirie. She noticed the blood and reached out to wipe it with her gloved hand, but instead of the expected smear, there was only russet dust. 'Oh,' Anet thought. 'It froze instantly.'

She looked back to the rest. For a moment, she considered interrogating their individual experiences, but then her eyes settled on one who felt different from the others. Cassilde Vortayn

Here was a woman, standing among them in an acolyte's robes, frozen as if stricken with stage fright when the rest had joined in. Whether the others agreed or not, Anet found it peculiar. It just wouldn't do at all.

"You, Acolyte," she called. "You didn't participate... why?" There was judgment in her voice.

Robes | Mask | Lightsaber

 

[Sumire Raiza]

COVENANT GARRISON RECORD // SR-31

SUMIRE RAIZA

EXECUTIONER

LOCATION // ABOARD THE TYRANT

OBJECTIVE // SOMETHING DISTRACTING

TAGS // Mercy , Arris Windrun

// Dante Gwyn //

Sumire's attention settled on a man who kept looking back toward the fighting. She had passed over him once already. This time she watched long enough to catch the movement of his arm, reaching for something that wasn't there, and the sigh that followed. Around him, spectators leaned toward the rings or called over one another. He remained outside the press.

She unfolded her legs and rose. The first step pulled at the muscles above her ankles; by the third, the stiffness had gone. Her tunic fell loose around her hips as she crossed the space between them, leaving the wall and the warmth of her seat behind. A clash of steel briefly drowned the voices nearest her. She stopped beside him, far enough away that he could turn without brushing against her.

"Have you come to fight?"

Her voice was low, pitched to reach him beneath the noise. She looked at him directly now. From the floor she had been able to study him unnoticed; standing this close, she offered him the same opportunity. There was no weapon at her waist, no armor beneath the charcoal cloth. Sweat had darkened a narrow strip along her collar.

"Sumire," she added. Her gaze shifted toward an unused ring farther along the hall. "There's room."

She left him with the invitation and moved toward it at an unhurried pace. Between the spectators, the air smelled of damp clothing and leather. Beyond them, heat from the fires reached her face unobstructed. The red boundary appeared beneath her feet, its paint scuffed where boots had dragged across it. She stepped over and into the ring.

Intentionally, she drew her sleeves back from her wrists and secured the folds. Her fingers moved neatly through the familiar task while she watched the edge of the ring. The anticipation she had sat down with before had become sharper now. She felt it in the slight dryness of her mouth, in how clearly her mind registered the distance to the painted line.

"We can start with or without weapons."

She lowered her arms and settled with one foot slightly behind the other. The noise of the hall receded beneath her attention as she watched him beyond the painted line. Her breathing stayed even, though anticipation drew tight beneath her ribs. She held there, giving him room to step inside.

 

[Dante Gwyn]

Objective:SOMETHING DISTRACTING
Location:ABOARD THE TYRANT
Tags: Sumire Raiza

He sighs,a invite or challange for the Siths are the same thing. The boy nods with eyes clsoed, and he open they agian and look to her "Sure,unarmed for a start sure." He is trying to sound annoying to hide his nervous.

The teenager walks with hher to the arena and position himself, she cna see he have training in it but it is not his focus, he keep a good poker face but his eyes betray him, this fight is totally hers, Dante will have his ass woop. At lest he is smart enough to not make the first move,letting her start what he things will be a fast painfull fight.

 

[Sumire Raiza]

COVENANT GARRISON RECORD // SR-31

SUMIRE RAIZA

EXECUTIONER

LOCATION // ABOARD THE TYRANT

OBJECTIVE // SOMETHING DISTRACTING

TAGS // Mercy , Arris Windrun

// Dante Gwyn //

Sumire watched him settle into his stance. There was training in the placement of his feet, enough to make her approach with some caution. She raised her guard, elbows tucked near her ribs, and advanced with short, measured steps. The loose fabric of her tunic brushed against her waist as she moved.

Heat from the nearest hearth warmed one side of her face. Beyond the painted boundary, a blade struck another with a sharp, metallic peal. The sound lingered above the spectators’ voices, but her attention stayed on the young man ahead of her. With each step, she could see him more clearly: the angle of his guard, the space between his feet, the rise and fall of his breathing. Her pulse quickened. She welcomed it.

She paused just outside striking distance, close enough to threaten a punch but still needing a step to reach him. For a heartbeat, she held that distance. Then her rear foot pressed against the deck, driving her forward.

Her left fist shot toward his upper chest in a jab - a short, straight punch, delivered without a wide swing. Her right hand remained beside her jaw, protecting her face. She put enough weight behind the strike to make it worth stopping, but kept her balance beneath her rather than lunging after it.

As fast as her fist shot outward, she would bring it back to where it had started. Even as she struck, her eyes watched him, ready for the moment he chose to answer.

 

[Dante Gwyn]

Objective: something distracting
Location: Aboard the Tyrant
Tags: Sumire Raiza

Dante's heart where louder like drums on his ears,he hates it, when the punch come he move his left arm blocking it and giving an step back and all this moviment he feels the sweat against his clothes. He try an faint,he advanced with an right punch but the real attack was an low kick aimed on her ankle tryin to take off her balance. He give an small huff,e still was not lickin it but maybe he can have some fun in it.

 

[Shinma]

Tags: Veyla Tass Calyx Sundrift Madrona A’Mia Pax Velloran Helix Lysander von Ascania Tobias Dib​

And now for something different.

The glow of Kyber crystals grew before the Sith proceeding in the caverns. A cave similar to those of Ilum revealed itself to the Sith. Green mixed with blue.

Yet in the darkness, someone already searched through the caverns ahead of Covenant Sith. Surrounded by the cover of darkness, those with better eyesight than baseline humans or Force Sight such as Madrona A’Mia might notice the figure of Shinma skulking about.

Shinma in these caverns wore protective equipment - just as the rest of the human and near-human Covenant Sith would. A space suit suitable for the atmosphere and temperature, and a rebreather for oxygen. Yet, Shinma used no means of creating visible light. No glow stick. No flash light or torch. Shinma seemed unbothered by the darkness of the cave.

And one other thing of note with Shinma would be a strange disk in the rogue Sith's hand - a disk with strange symbols.

 

[Sumire Raiza]

COVENANT GARRISON RECORD // SR-31

SUMIRE RAIZA

EXECUTIONER

LOCATION // ABOARD THE TYRANT

OBJECTIVE // SOMETHING DISTRACTING

TAGS // Mercy , Arris Windrun

// Dante Gwyn //

Her jab met his blocking arm. Sumire drew her fist back swiftly and followed as he gave ground, reluctant to let the distance open between them. He wasn't particularly large, but why concede any advantage? When his right hand came forward, she raised her left forearm to intercept it.

The kick caught her low.

Pain flashed through her ankle, and her foot slipped sideways. Her breath escaped between clenched teeth. She pitched forward, catching herself with a hurried step that brought her closer to him than she had intended. The ankle held beneath her, but a sharp ache travelled up her leg as she put weight on it.

She kept moving. Still within reach, Sumire opened her left hand and reached for his right upper arm. Her other hand went toward the tunic at his shoulder, seeking a firm grip in the fabric. She wanted him close enough that another kick would be difficult.

If she secured the grip, Sumire would pull him toward her and drive her knee toward the front of his thigh. She kept her weight over her uninjured leg, lifting the sore ankle clear of the deck. The movement sent a fresh pulse of pain through it, sharpening the breath she forced through her teeth. She aimed to make his leg buckle, keeping him close as she struck.

 

[Cassilde Vortayn]

Objective 1 - Something Unforgivable
The Standing Stone
Tags: Kirie | Astra Sadow | Nilira Vornix | Anet Raine | Kaelyr | Goldmask

Somewhere between the growing hum of the Standing Stone and the ominous, albeit impressive, red light show, Cassilde felt a flicker of fear.

Unfortunately, she was acutely aware she was out of her depth here. It was like standing at a dizzying height and looking down to see how far the drop was, and all the realisation of how far there was to fall rushing in at once. The back of her teeth buzzed with a vibration that made her feel queasy. This was occult madness. The woman conducting this had fallen to her knees; the one who didn't get the dress code seemed to do something entirely inhuman that Cassilde's brain tried, and failed, to find sanity in, and then another was beside her.

Talking to her.

She could see the shape of his mask in the brief window of illumination. Bathed in red light, there was a sense that she was looking at a face stripped of all flesh. Terrifying, naturally; would anybody else here be anything but? Normal behaviour was not on the syllabus, clearly. Even the way he spoke was disconcerting. A struggle. Laboured with the cadence of someone who had once read about polite conversation.

Next time, she would ask Mercy to send her to a garden party, and not whatever fresh hell this was.

"Remarkable is certainly one word for it," Cassilde agreed, keeping her voice low so she wouldn't offer that opinion to the whole group. The light had faded, and with it, he was once again reduced to shapes and shadow, which was, somehow, worse. "And I believe that goodwill tends to last exactly as long as it's useful."

And then the goodwill ended.

Suddenly, the hood and the rebreather covering most of her face felt like a blessing from beyond, as she was called out for her lack of participation in front of the class, as it were. Cassilde turned her head toward the judgmental shape, her eyes remaining impassive in the face of public humiliation. Now, this was more up her street. A good, old-fashioned shaming. Although, generally, when she had encountered these scenarios before, it wasn't with people who treated violating the laws of nature and galactic treaties as a pastime.

"I chose not to," she replied, calm on the face of it but with an edge of trepidation lurking beneath. Cassilde heard it come out, short and haughty. Half a lie, and she wasn't sure which half. Did she choose not to? Or had she frozen? She pivoted into etiquette instead. "Forgive me. I was under the impression it was an invitation."

 

[Varin Mortifer]

VARIN MORTIFER

Equipment: Durum Mantle | Black Blade of Chandrila | Eye of The Dragon | Heavy Sith Mace | Cross Guard Broadsaber | Wyrmfang​

The Mandalorian deftly evaded most of his attacks, his shoulder hitting him but the force was only enough to cause him to back up a few steps. After Sylor mentioned the sword could wait a small huff escaped Varin, followed by a slight curve lifting the corner of his mouth.

“Very well.”

Sylor moved right up to him, striking with a flurry of blows. Varin slapped one hand away and side stepped another. One strike connected with the Sith’s jaw causing his head to turn slightly with a small grunt. His head reeled back as another strike came in and then flung towards the strike. The hardest part of his head connecting with great force with the next strike.

Unconventional, yes. But effective enough to draw attention from his opponent with the off the wall fighting style. Varin then moved in, a knee coming up towards the Mandalorian’s chest. A few more strikes with his fists, one aiming for his side, another aiming for his chest and finally another elbow flying towards the side of the man’s head.

Varin’s attention split for only a moment when he noticed another face, wandering between fights as if searching for another partner. His gaze glared as he stood ready just in case the man decided to surprise him.

Sylor
Mention: Darth Apophion​

 

[Kirie]

​

Objective 1 - Something Unforgivable
The Standing Stone
Astra Sadow | Nilira Vornix | Anet Raine | Kaelyr | Cassilde Vortayn | Goldmask | Open

-

In their different ways, the gathered indicated that they understood. The woman in white was unenthusiastic and matter-of-fact. The next closest Sith, the one who seemed familiar, just let out a tinny sigh. Only Anet seemed truly enthused. The reaction of her devotee was exciting, and Kirie's eyes crinkled slightly at the corners, as the woman's hand brushed against her face, her grin hidden by the bulk of the rebreather. Regardless of their reactions, they had listened, they had seen, and she had their attention still. She just had to-

"You, Acolyte. You didn't participate... why?"

"What?" Kirie's voice was flat and confused, cutting across Anet's last syllable.

"I chose not to. Forgive me. I was under the impression it was an invitation."

Kirie shook her head in apparent confusion. Standing up, she looked between Anet and the other one reproachfully.

"Stop. Leave It- it doesn't matter." She waved her hands emphatically and frowned down at the ground for a few moments, before murmuring. "It doesn't matter."

Then, Kirie looked around like a lost lamb, like she didn't even know where she was, until her eyes refocused, her gaze sharpened, and she looked back to the white hood, the familiar stranger, and the rest of the gathering.

"What I showed you was proof of our theorem." Kirie said slowly, seemingly herself again. "The Standing Stone allows for the harvesting of the Living Force. It is… Extremely efficient." While she was talking, she'd removed a black glove and was wringing it in her hands, her skin going a rather alarming shade of purple as she did. "Then, it releases the energy. Imagine it as a sort of capacitor." Kirie bit her lip in sudden worry. Was she even making sense? She and Anet had spent weeks poring over records, translating dence runic textbooks on the Force. It had all seemed logical back on the yacht, but now as she spoke it seemed farfetched and fanciful. What was she but a child, naively reciting myths and stories?

No. They were right. It could work.

"Anyway, we have our capacitor, and we have Tira, a world that is living, but barely. Much like our bodies consist of a collection of cells and microscopic creatures, so too can we consider a planet as a living being made of smaller parts. But Tira is old, and Tira is sick. When Xim's loyalists created the Standing Stone, they designed it to destroy everything. With a large enough loss of life, it could overload the Stone, kill everything remaining on-world, and if Tira died, she would unleash an… An unfathomable power."

Kirie sighed, frustrated, and scraped a divot in the snow with the toe of her boot. She was frantic now. Slightly hysterical, definitely unstable. An acolyte no longer quite right in the head.

"Only, it doesn't work right, at least on a small scale. The energies fade away too fast." Her eyes, dark and shadowed in the dim, looked pointedly to each of the gathered Sith.

"But together, we could figure it out. Kill Tira, take her power for ourselves." She swallowed, hesitated again. "What do you think?"

 

[Dante Gwyn]

Objective: Something distracting
Location: Aboard of teh Tyrant
Tags: Sumire Raiza

Dante move his arms from inside ,presing them against Sumire's left arm to force it free him,he move his hips and legs to give some protection against an low attack he quickly move his left arm and pal agaisnt her chin,not to wound but to try to force her let him go, if that palm attack hit more than her chin it gonna be profit for him, he try to throw his not so big weight against her to not let her move ,an attack with the shoulder if he hits he gonna chain with an elbow on the plexus.

 

[Calyx Sundrift]

Madrona A’Mia​

His feigned confidence nearly left him when her neck craned in an unsettling stare. The visor gave nothing away, but he knew she was gauging him. Everything in that silent posture, the creepy body language, screamed that she was examining him.

He could imagine quite well what she was thinking.

Is he really this stupid?

Calyx mustered his best smile, mimicking her with a tilt of his head.

Yes. Yes, I am.

When her visor cleared and he was served a smile without malice, he nearly slipped out an exhale. The gamble had paid off. For now.

She drew back then, calling him out for his play with words. Never taking his eye off her, Calyx shrugged. It took effort to stay casual as she stepped closer and closer. The hairs on his neck rose, and he felt the urge to grab the hilt of his lightsaber. He suppressed it, right up until she stood against him.

Ancient bottomless pits for eyes bored into his own lone golden gleam.

Sweat formed on his forehead.

"Let's answer true, question for question. To sate our curiosity. Shall we?"

His legs nearly gave out when she stepped away, and he barely kept himself together.

Fortunately he gathered himself quickly and caught up in quick strides.

"Companionship. Odd choice of words. I'd expected one so immersed in the Dark-side to be taken by paranoia... with all due respect." he added carefully. "See, pleasure I can understand. But companionship? That feels like a weakness waiting to be exploited." Perhaps there was something there. He'd seen Arris whirl around that platinum-blonde. Would Mercy have a significant other that could be used against her?

He found the chance unlikely, but leads were worth pursuing nevertheless.

"What of you then, what are your foremost ambitions amongst the Sith?"

Calyx blinked twice. Four quick paces put him in step beside the Neti, his head cocked to glance at her face under the visor. "Ambitions?" He sniffed. "So, we're truly having a heart-to-heart?" He smirked. "Let's see..." He tapped a finger against his visor in thought.

"The coterie of Dark-side enthusiasts I find myself under would happily leap at your question to answer that power is everything. Therefore a Sith who does not strive for power can be no Sith at all." He let that linger, watching the visor for any flicker of reaction. "Which puts me in an odd position, as I've no interest in anything but my freedom and autonomy." He smiled knowingly. "That is possibly why I'm not licking the boots of one of my superiors. People tend to pick the Akk dog pup that sits on command, not the one that pisses on the carpet."

He slowed half a step, just enough to drift behind her shoulder, then thought better of it and came back level.

"Alright!" He clapped his hands together. "My turn. What do you really think of Anet?" He kept his tone light, almost bored, but his eye was firmly fixed on the Neti's visor.

 

[Astra Sadow]

SOMETHING UNFORGIVABLE​

Anet Raine called out Cassilde Vortayn 's lack of participation. Astra weighed whether she should contribute to the discussion. Obviously, the young woman didn't understand. 'Invitations' were accepted by being present, and being present meant you'd agreed to participate. Didn't matter whether what you were called upon to do was what you'd expected, you were there, a travesty was unfolding, and you were expected to partake. It was a very sordid and twisted life. But then weren't they all? Common folk just thought their little sins didn't matter, but they used all the same justifications.

Kirie's voice rose first. The cowl of the white robed pivoted just slightly in the woman's direction. "Choices matter." That was all Astra would say on the subject. The other woman seemed to be in charge of this... exploration and so this was her moment to manage. But every leader needed input to make the right choice. That's all Astra's comment was -- input. Granted, mildly rebuking in public, but Astra wasn't going to spend the time to coax her over to one side and have a word. Too much was going on for that.

Far more importantly was the Standing Stone that Kirie went on to explain.

Old. Unleash unfathomable power. Take it. Take it. TAKE IT.

Let the power sweep over the world bathing it in a darkness beyond measure. Consuming life it would remake it anew. Into something different. Something beyond their ability to comprehend. Astra could see it. She could feel something beyond pleased by the thought. Something that beckoned. Did Kirie hear it? Had she seen it? That was why Astra was there. At the word of someone exploring something beyond traditional alchemical formulae of an ancient artifact how could Astra not see if it held any promise for her designs?

Kirie's behavior didn't register in a way it might with others present. All Astra heard were the words of someone that might understand there was so much more out there just waiting for them to open the door. Even Lysander von Ascania didn't truly appreciate what it was and she knew he'd glimpsed just a sliver of it -- fortunately, for his sanity.

"Kill it. Unleash the power. Let it experience a rebirth. Let us experience a rebirth." If not here then where Astra had intended to drawn open the door. If not here then its power would furnish her ambitions to bring into this reality what lay beyond it. Perhaps she would invite Kirie to that ritual if the woman turned out to understood the magnitude of this discovery and what it might lead to. They could be mad together.

Kirie | Nilira Vornix | Anet Raine | Kaelyr | Cassilde Vortayn​

 

[Sumire Raiza]

COVENANT GARRISON RECORD // SR-31

SUMIRE RAIZA

EXECUTIONER

LOCATION // ABOARD THE TYRANT

OBJECTIVE // SOMETHING DISTRACTING

TAGS // Mercy , Arris Windrun

// Dante Gwyn //

Sumire’s knee glanced against his leg as he shifted to meet it. He pushed her left arm away, freeing himself from that grip, and his palm caught beneath her chin. Her head jerked back. She turned her face aside, but his shoulder struck before she could recover, driving her back a step.

His elbow followed. Sumire braced her left forearm across her stomach and caught the strike against it. The force drove her arm into her body, drawing a low snarl through her teeth. She steadied herself, her right fist still tangled in his tunic. Cloth strained against her knuckles. He was close, pressing forward, and she could use that.

Sumire stepped aside and pulled on his tunic, trying to draw him past her. Her left hand reached for his upper arm while she slid a foot into the path of his next step. If he came forward, she would try to catch his foot and pull him over it, sending him toward the deck.

She kept her balance over her supporting leg and held the pull. He could brace against her or work at the hand gripping his clothing; moving forward would bring him toward the waiting foot. She watched him closely, feeling each shift of pressure through the cloth. Sweat crept down her temple. Her forearm ached where his elbow had struck, and she found herself wanting him to struggle harder.

Only moments had passed, yet her pulse was hammering. There was pleasure in having to earn every inch, in finding that he could hurt her and answering him anyway. Without the Force, she had only her footing, her grip, and whatever breath she could steal between blows. That was the true measure of a person. She drew another through parted lips and tightened her hold.

 

[Lily Rhodes]

Tags: Naamino Zuukamano Mercy Arris Windrun

The shift in his gaze, the sudden shift from nothing to icy rage screamed at Lily and her smile vanished beneath a frown. Clearly, she’d triggered something, but she hardly had time to contemplate it before he was moving.

He was definitely not slow. She had to fight her instinct to teleport, to blink behind him and punch the back of his head. No force powers. That was the rule. But things they couldn’t see? She pinned that idea and settled for focus on the fight.

She back peddled as he charged, pivoting at the last second moving out of the centerline of his attack and moving to his flank, the kick passing close enough she felt the air ripple across her skin.

“Wow, rude.” She said now at his flank. “Say hello to someone and they try to kick you. What happened to etiquette?”

Lily didn’t counter, she was waiting and she was weaving, tiny little threads settling against the zabrak’s mind, waiting for the perfect crack to exploit. The more he attacked, the more he would give away, the sooner she could find a way to bring him down.

“Was it the ‘big boy’?” she continued, dangling bait as she stayed on the balls of her feet, fists raised in a loose defense. “Did I remind you of an ex?” Her smirk lingered.

 

[Dante Gwyn]

Objective: something distracting
Location: aboard the Tyrant
Tags: Sumire Raiza

Dante hiss he move fast holding Sumire and not movingg,stalling imself,for all the demons of Chaos how he hates unarmmed fight, he moves and easily is sent to the deck floor with a oof he open his arms "I give uup,I'm not good at unarmmed I yeld" e huffs after say it,admiting it hurt his pride, he look at her wiating her reaction,he look serios at her a little annoyed or angry.

 

[Goldmask]

The quiet chuckle that sounded from behind his mask was dry, forced, and audible only to the Hapan.

"She preserves you, ancillary to her grandeur," Halcyon whispered to Cassilde Vortayn .

"A disfavoured courtier remains useful. You and I, we must earn our place."

Halcyon stepped through the crowd toward the stone. He crossed the threshold separating audience from performance, into that space where the stone's warmth and power infused the air. As before, his attention remained on the living over inert matter. He stopped before Kirie and Anet Raine , and looked to the Acolyte's hand.

"Frostbite is a blemish on your moment of triumph, Acolyte," Halcyon spoke with measured pace.

He stepped away, turned halfway toward the crowd.

"I felt the proof. We all did. Lightning on a collied night, but real no matter how fleeting."

His hood shifted. The jar, holding its dead insects, turned into the object of his attention.

"A theorem must be tested further. Requires corollaries, built on its logic. It worked at small scales, but faded too quickly. A leap. Could have consequences we cannot predict. There are rungs on this ladder we have not yet explored."

Astra Sadow Kaelyr Nilira Vornix