The immediate priority was a secure meeting with Princess Lyra. Vaelorian knew he couldn't afford to be seen near her again, so the meeting had to be quick, deeply secured, and absolutely silent.
"Eryndor will move us directly into a secure chamber Lyra designates. We need to be invisible. Lyra's knowledge is our only way to take over that tower without raising an alarm." Vaelorian told Riven.
"Understood. I'll maintain a calming shield around Lyra's mind once we arrive. She's at her limit." Riven suggested and Vaelorian nodded in agreement.
Sir Eryndor communicated with Lyra's most trusted remaining servant, confirming a safe location: a small, rarely used private study deep within the Sovereign's Palace library, locked down for the night.
The transition was instantaneous. One moment, the air in the suite was charged with the hum of the nutrient cable; the next, it was heavy with the smell of centuries-old parchment and settled dust. Sir Eryndor's teleportation was seamless.
They stood in a cramped study, the only light provided by a single, flickering lamp. Princess Lyra looked smaller here, surrounded by towering shelves of forgotten Sovereign history, but her eyes held a frantic, sharp intelligence.
"Sir Eryndor's Gift is truly impressive," Lyra whispered. "I apologize for the state of the room, but only a few guards know this exists. It is the only safe place."
"No apologies, Princess. We have confirmed your suspicions. Grand Duke Valerius is operating an amplified Gift weapon from that sea tower. It's a machine designed for large-scale mind control. He isn't just seeking influence; he's seeking a total, mental annexation of this city."
A choked gasp escaped the princess. "I knew it! The way the servants look right through me, the Captain's sudden, robotic loyalty... it's a slow coup. He's going to turn my own people into his puppets."
Riven stepped forward, his presence a stabilizing anchor in the dim room. He subtly projected a wave of calm, a mental shield that softened the edges of Lyra's rising panic.
"Princess, we need to know how he cycles the machine. We can't just blow it up—the resulting energy surge would likely fry the minds of half the capital, and it would definitely start a war. We have to neutralize the broadcast itself." Riven informed the princess calmly.
Princess Lyra, focusing on Riven's calm voice. "He visits every day. Always between midnight and 1:00 AM. That is when the influence in the air is strongest. It feels like a physical weight on my chest. When he leaves, the weight lifts. The machine... it doesn't just run on that fluid. It runs on him."
Vaelorian hummed quietly before speaking. "A power cycle. He is the catalyst. The machine amplifies what is already there, meaning for one hour a night, Valerius is the most dangerous man on the planet. To stop the machine, we don't just need to break a lens; we need to break his focus."
Vaelorian pulled a small, hand-drawn map of the Sovereign coast from his tunic, laying it over a stack of ancient papers. His mind was already moving three steps ahead, calculating the variables of energy and Gift-interaction.
"We need a two-fold strike. Anya is already working on a chemical counter-agent for the nutrient fluid, but that's a slow kill. We need an immediate interruption. Lyra, is there anything near that tower—anything massive—that draws or stores power?" Vaelorian asked, and princess Lyra traced the coastline with a trembling finger.
"The old Royal Docks. There's a pre-Sovereign hydro-generator built into the cliff face. It's been dormant for decades, but the conduits are still there, buried under the silt."
"Perfect." Vaelorian began. "If we can jump-start that generator, we can create a massive sink—a vacuum that draws the energy away from the tower's broadcast crystal and dumps it safely into the sea's tides."
Vaelorian looked at his team, the hierarchy of the mission clear in his mind.
"Eryndor, your mission is reconnaissance of the Docks. You need to find the old generator's power coupling. If it's rusted shut, we need to know now. Willow and Mira Lune will be your support; they can secure the perimeter and provide the thermal energy needed to kickstart the turbines." Vaelorian instructed his trusted bodyguard.
He then turned to Riven, his expression softening.
Vaelorian, telepathy to Riven: My love, you are the key. While the generator draws the power, Valerius will feel the drain. He will fight it. You have to be inside that tower. You have to use your Mind Control to suppress his influence, to break his concentration just long enough for the counter-agent to destabilize the crystal.
Riven, nodding, a smile touching his lips: Don't worry. He won't even know he's being countered until the machine is dead.
"We only get one chance," princess Lyra pleaded. "If the broadcast fails and he realizes why, he'll kill everyone in this Palace to find the spy."
"It won't fail, Princess." Vaelorian assured her. "We aren't just stopping a machine; we're ending a tyrant's reign before it even begins."
The meeting ended with the crisp sound of Sir Eryndor's teleportation as they returned to the suite. The pieces were on the board, and the clock was ticking toward midnight.