The room did not empty when the discussion reached its natural stopping point, and that absence of closure became the first clear sign that the fracture had already occurred. The elders remained seated, their posture disciplined out of habit rather than conviction, their attention shifting uneasily from one face to another as if someone might speak up with authority if they waited long enough.In the past, meetings had ended in a specific way. Someone had always summarized, assigned follow-ups, or invoked a precedent. This time, none of that happened. The structure that once governed their interactions loosened, leaving them suspended in a moment that no longer responded to ritual.Marena and Dante moved toward the window without asking for acknowledgment. No one stopped them, but no one invited the movement either. The city beyond the glass spread out in reflective layers—rain-darkened streets, traffic bleeding red and white into the pavement, buildings lit unevenly by offices that

The summons did not arrive with threatening language, and that absence was precisely what made it effective.It was framed as a request for voluntary clarification, routed through legal counsel who still addressed Marena as if she belonged to a protected category rather than a scrutinized one. The phrasing was courteous, measured, and professional. It did not accuse. It did not compel. It offered an opportunity. A chance, they said, to contextualize her involvement before others did it for her.Marena read the document once without reacting. She read it a second time more carefully, tracking the placement of each word, the careful avoidance of accusation, the subtle narrowing of options disguised as openness. When she finished, she folded the paper once, precisely, and placed it on the table between herself and Elias.Elias sat across from her, already standing halfway out of his chair, as if movement alone might restore leverage.“So,” he said, gesturing toward the folded page, “this