That evening, I stood on the roof of the safe house watching the sun set over Silvercrest. The city glowed in the fading light, thousands of people going about their lives completely unaware that reality-controlling entities had just issued ultimatums that could end with mass casualties.

Footsteps on the stairs behind me. Adrian emerged onto the roof, looking as tired as I felt.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked.

"Didn't try. Too much to think about."

He joined me at the edge, looking out over the city. "Elena asked me what I'd choose if the three options were the only real possibilities. If there was no fourth option, no way to fight back. Which would I pick."

"What did you tell her?"

"That I'd pick death. Quick and clean. Better than re-education or betrayal." He glanced at me. "What would you choose?"

I considered it honestly. "Probably the same. If the only choices were surrender, die as scripted, or let my family be killed, I'd take the solo death. At least then it's only me."

"Depressing thoughts for a pleasant evening."

"We're facing cosmic entities that want to erase us. Depressing is appropriate."

Adrian laughed. It sounded genuine, which was impressive given the circumstances. "You know what the funny part is? Three months ago, if someone told me I'd be standing on a roof with you discussing which form of death we'd prefer, I'd have called them insane."

"Three months ago, you were trying to destroy my reputation and absorb my faction."

"Details. The point is, things change, we changed. And now we're in this together, for better or worse."

"Mostly worse lately."

"Fair."

We stood in silence for a while, watching the city lights flicker on as night fell. Somewhere out there, the Council was watching. Planning. Waiting for us to fold or fail.

They were going to be disappointed.

"Three days," Adrian said. "Then we leave for the mountains. Two weeks of training. Then we come back and face whatever the Council throws at us."

"That's the plan."

"It's a terrible plan."

"But it's our plan."

Adrian held out his hand. I shook it. A pact between former enemies turned reluctant allies. We'd face the Council together. Learn Fate's Severance together. Either succeed together or die together.

No surrender, no predetermined ending. Just two people choosing to fight for their freedom against impossible odds. The sun finished setting, leaving us in darkness broken only by city lights and stars. Somewhere up there, beyond the sky, beyond reality itself, the Council of Fates was watching.

Let them watch.

In three days, we'd start learning how to cut their threads.

In thirty days, we'd show them what free will really meant.

Until then, we had preparations to make and a deadline to beat.

The war with the Council had officially begun.

☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆

The healer pressed her fingers against my ribs one final time, channeling diagnostic magic that felt like cool water flowing through bone. She was thorough, methodical, checking each previously fractured rib twice before stepping back with a satisfied nod.

"Clean healing," she announced. "No residual damage, no weak points. Your mana channels are clear and your capacity reads at full. Combat effective as of this morning."

Day ten after the League attack. Right on schedule.

I sat up from the examination table, moving carefully out of habit before realizing I didn't need to anymore. The constant ache that had accompanied every breath for the past week and a half was simply gone. I twisted experimentally. No pain. No grinding sensation. Just normal flexibility.

"What about sustained combat?" I asked. "If I need to fight for an extended period?"

"You're at ninety-five percent combat effectiveness. The remaining five percent is mostly psychological. Your body remembers being injured and wants to protect itself. Give it a few days of training and you'll be back to full capacity." She packed her medical kit with practiced efficiency. "Though I understand you're planning something considerably more strenuous than normal training."

"Victoria told you?"

"She requested I give you a complete workup and clear you for extreme physical and magical stress. I can read between the lines." The healer's expression was neutral, carefully professional. "I've cleared you medically. Whether you should proceed is a different question I'm not qualified to answer."

After she left, I dressed and checked the system interface.

[PHYSICAL RECOVERY: COMPLETE]

[COMBAT EFFECTIVENESS: 95%]

[MANA CAPACITY: 4,200 / 4,200 (100%)]

[MANA REGENERATION: Optimal]

[PHYSICAL STATUS: Ready for high-stress activity]

[RECOMMENDATION: Begin final preparations for mountain training]

[TIMELINE REMAINING:

- Departure: 48 hours

- Training duration: 14 days

- Council deadline: 27 days total]

Twenty-seven days until the Council made good on their threats. Two weeks of that would be spent in the mountains learning a technique that might kill us. Which left less than two weeks after training to prepare for whatever the Council sent.

Assuming we survived the training at all.

I found the team gathered in the safe house common room, going through equipment and supplies. Marcus had spread out a collection of enchanted items across the main table, checking each one's magical signature with careful precision. Lucille was cleaning weapons she'd already cleaned twice. Nervous energy given physical form.

"Well?" Seraphina asked as I entered. She was seated near the window, her injured leg propped on a cushion. "Did the healer clear you?"

"Fully healed. Ready to go." I looked around the room. "Status check. Everyone else?"

"Shoulder's fine," Lucille said without looking up from her daggers. "Been fine for three days. Just staying sharp."

Marcus gestured at his array of enchanted items. "Never injured. But I've been working double shifts preparing equipment for the trip. Got emergency medical kits, high-grade mana restoration potions, emergency teleportation crystals in case things go catastrophically wrong." He picked up a small crystal that pulsed with inner light. "These are keyed to this location. Crush one and it'll pull you back here instantly. Expensive as hell and single-use, but if you're dying in the mountains they might save your life."

"How many?"

"Two per person. More than that and the ward interactions could cause problems."

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