The early morning mist clung to Glora's streets like a memory that refused to fade. Waza stood on the edge of the old bridge, feet bare on the cold concrete, feeling the hum pulse faintly beneath his skin. Every heartbeat resonated with purpose now; the Vein wasn't just a whisper it was a compass.
Selena approached quietly, her presence like a mirror of his own intensity. She didn't speak immediately, letting him observe the city he'd always watched from rooftops. Waza felt the familiar pull the need to move, to act, but not yet recklessly.
"Do you feel it too?" she asked, her voice low, measured.
"Yes," Waza said. "It's… different now. Not fear. Something else. Choice."
Selena's eyes studied him carefully. She had always been a catalyst a spark in his stillness. Now, she became the measure of what he was about to do.
He turned, looking down the street where the shadowed figures lingered, not yet aware that he had noticed them long before. This time, he would not just watch. Every instinct, every observation, every lesson learned in Glora led to this point.
The decision he carried wasn't for survival it was personal. One irreversible step to test the skill he had nurtured in silence. It was a small act, almost invisible to the city, but for Waza, it was monumental.
Selena moved closer, almost touching his shoulder. "Then go," she said. "You'll know when."
Waza nodded, the hum in his veins rising, silver threads flickering beneath his skin. He took the first step down into the street, the shadows parting as if acknowledging him. The city was quiet, holding its breath.
He would leave Glora soon, but not yet. First, he had to act here, within the streets he had known better than any soul. A single action, a personal choice, irreversible in its intention, would mark the moment he transitioned from silent observer to Architect.
And as he walked forward, Selena remained behind, her eyes reflecting both intrigue and quiet warning. Waza understood: the city watched, but she would watch him too. And that was exactly what he needed