Alone that night, Echo activated the data-crystal. A hologram of Kassius, looking even more ancient and severe, flickered to life.
"Boy. If you're seeing this, you've done something stupidly heroic and attracted the wrong kind of attention. The Forge will try to map your bloodline, to codify it, to turn your sovereignty into a manual of instructions. Do not let them."
The image leaned closer. "Sovereignty is not a science. It is an art. It is will made manifest in the river of life. They will try to break your will into data points. You must hide the truth in plain sight. I have embedded a cloaking protocol within this crystal—a subtle, psychic filter that will make your bloodline appear simpler, more linear, and less potent than it is. It will also… open a door."
Kassius's hologram gestured, and a complex, shifting diagram of arteries and energy nodes appeared. "The Sanguis Imperator bloodline has stages. You have barely scratched Stage 1. The true power lies not in commanding your own blood, or even the blood of others. It lies in commanding the concept of vitality itself. To heal with a touch. To wither with a glance. To feel the life-force of a planet. This is the path."
The diagram zoomed in on a node at the core of the image—a knot of crimson light. "The first step toward Stage 2 is the Vitalis Core. To form it, you need to internalize an immense amount of life energy. Not just any energy. Pure, untainted, potent life. The kind found in two places: the heart of a living Genesis World… or in the moment of transcendent union between bonded souls."
Kassius's gaze was piercing. "You will find no Genesis Worlds in the Forge. But you have your bonds. Strengthen them. Deepen them. Let them fuel your ascension. The stronger your bonds, the stronger your sovereignty. Remember: a king is nothing without his kingdom."
The hologram faded.
Echo lay back, the crystal warm in his hand. The message was clear. The Ordered Council wanted to dissect his power. The Shadow Court wanted to steal it. Kassius was telling him to grow it, in secret, using the very bonds they all underestimated.
He looked at his sleeping mates. Leyla, the warrior. Mira, the sage. Ryn, the sentinel. They were his kingdom. And he would be their sovereign.
A plan began to form, not of rebellion, but of quiet, defiant growth.