He snapped his fingers. A tattooed girl with glowing green eyes approached, holding a metal scroll sealed in bone clasps.
"This is an invitation," he said. "To The Hollow Banquet. A gathering of power, held beneath the Black Spine. Only those who rule—or will rule—are allowed inside. No masks. No lies. Just truth… and opportunity."
Asher took the scroll, feeling the seal's subtle hum. "And if we decline?"
"Then you walk out, and we forget this meeting. For now."
Valeris spoke calmly. "And if we come?"
"Then you'll learn who truly governs the shadows of this world."
He stepped back, disappearing into the shivering portal behind him. The others followed, vanishing like smoke drawn back into the abyss.
Silence returned.
Veyra was the first to speak. "They didn't try to fight."
"They wanted to measure us," Asher replied. "And now they know enough to be wary."
