Open Only at Midnight. Do Not Trust the Blade.

Ren dropped to one knee when the summoning light tore through the royal deck, and the first thing he saw was his family bento box skidding across wet boards. He had no sword, no badge, and no right to stand in front of the council, yet the ship's seal changed around him and the crowd saw him anyway. Ren knew numbers, supply lines, and how people lied when they were scared. That helped. It also hurt, because every choice he made seemed to cost someone trust. Rin stayed close, sharp and silent, while the borrowed gloves on his left wrist reminded him that some hands needed time before they could reach back. The more he learned about the sealed region and the paper hidden in his locker, the mor...