Rhea stood quietly in the shadows of the control room, the blue light of the holographic panels flickering across his dark features. His fingers, long and elegant, hovered just above the console as he watched the data streams trickle in. The encrypted message had been successfully dispatched to the First Prince's battalion. There was no confirmation yet of receipt, but Rhea knew Cealus. He would trace it. He had to.
The room around him buzzed faintly with soft murmurs and tapping keys, yet a subtle tension lingered like static in the air. Everyone was working, but not with their usual precision. Their eyes would flick toward the sealed door every now and then—the one Bian had stormed through earlier. The one that seemed to pulse with danger.
Rhea exhaled slowly.
This wasn't how things were supposed to go.
A voice cut through the uneasy quiet.
"Sir…"
