EPISODE 9: THE RITE OF SEVEN ## CHAPTER 1: PREPARATIONS The Order opposed it. Unanimously, vehemently, with the collective authority of five families who had spent three centuries on the side of the boundary. "You're proposing to do exactly what Eleanora did," Ruth said, voice controlled but trembling. "The precise act that damaged the boundary irreparably and accelerated the very degradation you claim to be solving." "Eleanora worked alone," Nadia replied. "Eleanora didn't have a channel. The dual architecture requires both functions—keeper and channel—operating in opposition. That's what creates the stable interface." "The 'dual architecture' is a theory based on a marginal note in a three-hundred-year-old codex. You're betting the boundary on a footnote." "I'm facing the fact that the boundary is failing regardless. The question isn't whether the membrane will breach—the possessions in town prove that's already happening. The question is whether the breach is managed or catastrophic." Elias had been quiet throughout the debate. When he spoke, the room stilled. "The Order's function is to support the keeper. Not to replace the keeper's judgment. Catherine Ashworth established that principle in 1731, and no Order assembly in three centuries has overridden it." He looked at Nadia. "If you believe the seventh circle is the correct course, the Order will support you. We will oppose you in argument but...