The emergency alert reached me through multiple channels simultaneously—priority messages flashing across my personal tablet, urgent notifications through my neural-link communication implant, and even backup audio warnings through the office's environmental systems. Elias had activated every available protocol to ensure the message penetrated my exhaustion-induced tunnel vision after forty-six hours of continuous research.
"Sir," Elias's voice came through the intercom with professional concern that carried undertones of genuine alarm, "Lady Elara Astoria is at the guild headquarters requesting immediate access to your location. She's expressing significant concern about your wellbeing, and frankly, sir, her worry appears well-founded."
