On the great circular granite table at the center of the Convergence Hall, scribes carefully unrolled five long scrolls of illuminated vellum. Each parchment was framed in silver filigree and stamped with the ancestral crests of the five founding provinces of the continent.
The ceremonial ink was prepared in a polished stone basin, ground from deep desert resins, mountain iron minerals, and eastern shyflower oil. A quiet reverence settled over the hundreds of assembled officers, clan elders, and academy masters as the historical signing ceremony began.
Sunlight filtered through the high stained-glass dome, casting brilliant rays of amber and sapphire light across the marble floor. The ceremonial guards of Squad 25 stood motionless at the perimeter of the dais, their polished bronze sashes gleaming in the morning warmth.
