The transition of power was never meant to be a delicate affair. For the Astralis Empire, a civilization spanning the breadth of the known firmament, change was not a ripple; it was a tectonic shift that threatened to uproot the very foundations of reality.
Vahn's first day in the Galactic Imperial Court did not begin with the blaring of trumpets or the rhythmic chanting of high priests. It did not begin with the hollow pageantry that had come to define the late stages of the dynasty.
It began with a silence so absolute it felt like a physical weight.
The Imperial Hall of Convergence was a cathedral of absolute law, a structure designed to remind any occupant of their insignificance. Its dimensions defied conventional architectural logic, stretching upward until the vaulted ceiling vanished into an artificial firmament.
