"Said the rank gap's too wide—battle's ill-advised. And without a House name, I can't hurt it. Celestial law, whatever that means. No strength, no Whisper, just death if we step through."
Gina's brow furrowed, her damaged speaker cannon humming faintly as she adjusted its cracked crystal.
"A General? That's a step up from the trash we've been cutting through. And what's this about a House name? You've never mentioned that before."
"Because I didn't know it mattered," Arden said, his voice edged with frustration. "It's been buzzing in my head since we got close to this place—warnings, rules, cryptic nonsense. I thought it was just noise, but now..."
He trailed off, his gaze dropping to the floor.
"It's specific. Too specific."
Jarek cracked his knuckles, a dry laugh escaping him. "So you're saying you're useless in there? Great. Guess I'll have to punch twice as hard to make up for it."
