The room was quiet, save for the ever-present hum of mana-infused crystal lights above.
The Magus Council looked the same as always.
Birna and Ejen sat at their usual seats. The council room, vast and solemn, held no official hierarchy aside from Birna herself.
She was the council leader—the only one whose authority was recognized by structure. But that didn't mean the others were equal.
As it was in every corner of space, the older Maguses believed themselves more experienced, more worthy.
In Trion, where people could live far longer as they leveled up, age meant more than wisdom—it meant power.
And in a place like the Magus Council, that meant everything. Those who had watched centuries pass sat closest to Birna, unofficially claiming those seats as theirs.
Not everyone thought the same. Not every Magus cared for such games.
But at this point, not sitting close to Birna despite one's age wasn't seen as humility—it was seen as rejection. Refusing power. Stepping aside.
