The return to Thalassa was swift, thanks to the Dark Wind. Lyall was barely conscious, his powerful body heavy with the residual effect of the teral. It was Captain Kalas himself, now silent and strangely respectful of the chaos he had witnessed, who ensured their passage.
Kalas did not drop them at the public port. He used a private, secure dock beneath the Citadel of the Tide.
"The Countess's papers," Kalas growled, addressing Elara. "They opened the way. But it's not your nobility that convinced my Lady. It's the fire and destruction I saw on that island. You have one hour to report."
Lyall was settled in a guard's room converted into an infirmary. Elara briefly tended to him, then grabbed the single recovered data console. She was ready for the final negotiation.
In the Crisis Room, the atmosphere was heavy. The Lady of the Tide sat, impatience visible. Kalas gave his report, his words simple but devoid of all skepticism: he confirmed the ferocity of the Pyrelans Monks and Lyall's effectiveness in neutralizing the Voraks defense through mass manipulation.
Lyall, though weak, managed to stand, supported by Elara.
Elara brought out the selithe of solis, a golden shard with multiple edges, holding it like a scepter.
"Your Highness, the test is passed. We neutralized the immediate threat from the Monks, and we have the prize: the proof."
Lyall projected the data. Elara spoke first for the political analysis, while Lyall supplemented with the crystal tactics.
"Vane is not building an army; he is building a maritime conquest strategy," Elara announced.
She detailed the findings:
Selithe of Pressa : Mass production for fleet shields and heavy infantry. Lyall explained: "The pressa will create shields that will resist all your conventional artillery."
Selithe of aerone : Production for aerial shock troops and rapid reconnaissance. "The Aerone (The Walzer) will bypass your lines from the sky; your cannons won't be able to track them."
Selithe of echor : Significant quantity. Lyall explained: "Users of the Selithe of echor will use resonance to crack the hulls of your ships from the inside. It is a weapon designed to sink your fleet without touching it."
Lyall concluded: "Vane's fleet doesn't need to be bigger, it needs to be unquestionable. Your Highness, you are their target."
The Lady of the Tide sat up straight, worry etched on her face. "I accept the facts. Lyall has the anchor. But this war won't be won by force alone. Elara, what is your part of this anchor?"
Elara took a step back and activated the Solis. She adopted the posture of Tai Chi Chen: fluid, centered.
"Lyall has the teral, the force of the Cause," Elara explained. "I give him the perception of the Cause."
She asked a guard to step forward to simulate a strike. The guard raised his arm. Elara dodged the movement with a graceful half-step, the movement occurring before the guard's shoulder had fully pivoted.
"In the Oracle style," she explained. "I read the energetic intention before the physical action. This guard's attack was never a danger, because his intent betrayed the weakness in his posture. I don't need to counter; I make you realize your own attack is useless before you launch it."
She turned to Lyall. "You can trust me, Lyall, to give you the exact window to strike the enemy's inertia with the teral."
The Lady of the Tide was convinced. "Your alliance is one of the Anchor and the Eye. I give you my full support."
She pointed at the map. "The selithe Manufacturing Plant must fall. It is located on the isolated island of Ithaca. Vane is stockpiling raw nexium there for all his pessa and echor stones."
Lyall, invigorated by Elara's confidence, outlined the plan. "This is our only chance to stop production upstream. The anchor must strike at the root of the cause. We will strike Ithaca."
Lyall and Elara, now political partners and fighters, left the Crisis Room. The Anchor Strategist now had the Oracle's Eye. Their true war against Vane could begin.