Lord's announcement came at dawn.
Not through formal channels. Not through the Tribunal or the bridge tier network. Through the cosmic substrate itself—a pulse of intent that every being connected to the new order could feel.
We will not retaliate. We will not escalate. We will rebuild.
The response was immediate.
Some bridge tier beings were relieved. They were tired of fighting, tired of running, tired of watching their friends die. Some were furious. They wanted vengeance. They wanted Valorin to pay for the lives he had taken.
Uru felt both reactions as she moved through the substrate, monitoring the network. The fractures in the bridge tier were widening. Not from Valorin's attacks—from exhaustion. From grief.
She reported to Lord in the Hatchery.
"Your followers are divided. Some want peace. Some want war. Some just want to survive."
Lord sat among the gestation chambers, watching the eggs pulse. "What do you want?"
Uru was silent for a moment.
"I want Valorin dead."
