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It is coming. In a deluge of churning waves, the water of the bay dips and collapses, while a hissing swell rises around the edge of the funnel. In the center, a roaring vortex is forming, like a furious spiral, an open mouth into the abyss. The wind has changed, carrying a scent of ozone, as a thin drizzle begins to fall. Descending from the grassy dunes battered by stinging gusts, the infantry of the Aegis begins its maneuvers, divided into four carefully ordered battalions.

It was a summer afternoon. Pollen drifted through the air, while in the fields, sickles and scythes fell on the wheat heads. Not far from the mill, flails threshed the grain, as the sweet song of the winnowers echoed. Idle children played in the straw, laughing loudly, while forks and hooks piled up bundles of hay in the barns.

The brass band marches down the jam-packed street, while trumpets and sousaphones echo, cymbals clash, and drums bang in joyful chaos. Nev looks around at the crowd following the parade or bustling around the various stalls.

The Guild Master nervously taps the table with his fingers. Around him, the other members of the Guild Assembly chatter and shout in a deafening uproar. On one side, supporters of the Basileus shake their heads, outraged. On the other side, his opponents boo and yell, pounding their fists or feet to drown the amphitheater in the most irritating racket.

The leaves rain around me like a rosy cloud falling from the canopy. I watch them dance, collide, and resume their indolent waltz before settling on the mossy ground. I pick one up and observe the whitish veins running across its surface.

Itoro swung her massive brush through the air, scattering droplets of ink around her before striking the ground with force. The black liquid traced shapes on the stone, seeped into the cracks, stained the cobblestones, and from these obsidian strokes sprang countless soot sparrows. They flapped their wings - pulsing masses of dark pigment - before flying off into the distance, each carrying a message, a summons.

The Aegis sentinel opened the door and stepped aside to let her pass, nodding in greeting as she went by. Behind her, the Basileus' chambers were shrouded in darkness, their atmosphere thick with incense and the heady fragrance of ointments.

Through the Rediscovery Endeavor, it's the entire people of Asgartha who are now set in motion.