Power didn’t announce itself with noise.It waited.Elara felt it in the hours before the address the kind of quiet that hums under the skin. Not fear. Not excitement. Responsibility. Heavy and undeniable.She stood in front of the mirror, smoothing the sleeves of her jacket, studying her own reflection as if meeting someone new. The woman looking back at her didn’t ask for permission anymore. She didn’t rehearse smiles or soften her eyes to be palatable.She looked… steady.Adrian leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, watching without interrupting. He’d learned when silence was support.“You don’t have to do this today,” he said