[POV: Sofia Lanka]

"Get your hands off the neural conduit, Valerius. The sky is literally falling, and you’re still trying to play the architect of a world that’s currently being dissolved by a galactic janitor. Look at the monitors! Those aren't ships landing—they are needles, and they are here to drain the planet dry. If we don’t link the Northern Spire with the Southern deep-tech now, there won't be a throne left for you to rot on."

Sofia’s voice cut through the rhythmic thrumming of the King’s inner sanctum, sharp and serrated with an anger that had been simmering since she first saw the obsidian moon. She stood in the...