News spread through Eldoria like wildfire. Conrad Thornton had emerged from seclusion, not merely as the patriarch of the city's most powerful family, but as a Grandmaster—a level of power that few in the country could claim.
I watched from the shadows as nobles and merchants alike scrambled to send gifts and congratulations to the Thornton estate. The rainbow that had stretched across the sky yesterday had faded, but the tension in the air remained palpable. People spoke in hushed tones, glancing nervously over their shoulders as if the mere mention of Conrad Thornton might summon his wrath.
"They're like mice scurrying before a hawk," Uncle Armando remarked beside me, his usually jovial face uncharacteristically serious. "Three years ago, some of these same people were laughing behind Conrad's back. Now look at them."
