Three Days of Unseen Currents**

Evan left the High Commerce Assembly with Brannor, Varro, and Lyrienne at his side. The heavy doors closed behind them with a deep echo that felt like a countdown beginning. Three days. Three days for the council to decide whether the Guild of Names would be legitimized or dismantled. Three days for Cassian Vale and the Silver Ledger to move through shadows.

The sun set across Onyxgate, casting long black lines through the stone streets. Evan paused at the top of the assembly steps. He sensed something humming through the city. Not mana. Not magic. Resonance. Collective emotion shifting like a tide.

Brannor looked uneasy. “I do not like this place. Everything feels controlled. Like the whole city is holding its breath”

Varro clutched his potion bag tighter. “I feel like someone is watching us from every direction”

Lyrienne closed her eyes. “Not someone. Many. The council’s deliberation stirs influence from every guild. Merchants. Mages. Nobles. They all sense change coming. And they all want a piece of it”

Evan took a deep breath. “So we work. We stay focused. And we do not let Cassian disrupt the tide”

They walked through the capital toward the guest house prepared for Lyrienne’s visits. The streets glowed with lantern magic, but each glow felt colder than the warm lights in Dawnriver. The city gates closed behind them with a low metallic groan.

Inside the guest house Lyrienne lit a clarity node. The air stabilized. Varro exhaled with relief.

Evan sat at the central table and opened his notebook. “We need to prepare for every outcome. If they approve us, we expand. If they deny us, we need a new plan”

Brannor frowned. “What plan could survive the council’s rejection”

Lyrienne answered. “The same plan that built the guild in the first place. Intention”

Evan nodded. “Even without official approval, identity resonance is already spreading. If they shut us down in name, people will still follow our methods. But Cassian will not wait three days. He will move now”

Varro flinched. “What do you think he will do”

Evan tapped the table thoughtfully. “He has three options. Undermine trust in our demonstration. Twist the council’s perception. Or attack us indirectly through public opinion”

Brannor grunted. “He already tried counterfeit goods. What more could he do”

Lyrienne lifted a hand. “He could attack resonance itself. There are spells that distort emotional fields. Illegal, but real. If he convinces the council that identity magic is unstable he could sway their decision”

Evan stared at the clarity node’s soft glow. “Then we need to show the opposite. That identity stabilizes the people, not the other way around”

Day One: The Capital Awakens

The next morning the city buzzed with whispers about the demonstration.

Merchants debated in the streets
Mages exchanged theories about resonance
Guild leaders exchanged suspicious glances

Evan, Brannor, and Varro toured the capital to observe the shifts firsthand.

At a potion shop an elderly alchemist asked Evan directly “Is it true you exposed a counterfeit guild in Dawnriver”

At a blacksmith forge a group of apprentices crowded around Brannor whispering about the pulse marks

Several food vendors asked Varro how he created the shimmering signature

Identity had reached the capital far faster than expected.

But something else had arrived too.

Cold. Sharp. Controlled.

Cassian’s influence.

At the far end of the trade district, Evan spotted a new booth carrying the Silver Ledger sigil. People gathered around printed scrolls showing criticisms of the Guild of Names.

Varro gasped. “He is already spreading propaganda”

Evan picked up one scroll.

Identity manipulates emotions
Resonance deceives the weak
Marks can be forged
Symbols create addiction
The Guild of Names destabilizes tradition

Brannor tore the scroll in half. “Lies”

Evan shook his head. “Not lies. Fear. And fear spreads faster than truth”

He turned toward the crowd forming around the Silver Ledger booth.

A man spoke loudly. “Identity magic threatens our autonomy. It could be used to manipulate trade and sway the public. The Silver Ledger Guild stands for stability”

Evan stepped forward slowly.

“Yet your counterfeit potions nearly harmed adventurers”

The crowd turned.

Cassian emerged from behind the booth, composed as always. “You accuse us without proof”

“You copied a symbol you did not understand. And it collapsed”

Cassian raised a brow. “Or perhaps your identity magic is unstable. Perhaps the collapse is proof of its danger, not its strength”

Murmurs spread.

Varro whispered “He is twisting the narrative”

Evan stepped closer. “If branding is dangerous only when forged with deception, then the danger lies with those who deceive. Not with those who speak truth”

Cassian smiled thinly. “You speak well, Mr Cole. The council will decide which of us they believe”

He turned away, leaving behind a cloud of uncertainty.

Brannor clenched his fists. “I want to hit him”

Evan sighed. “We cannot win with force. We win with clarity”