The light had changed.
It wasn't ambient anymore. It responded to Leon now—bending slightly as he walked, adjusting as if aware of his presence. This was no illusion of grandeur. It was subtle, mechanical… deliberate.
Milim whispered under her breath as the group moved across a narrow bridge made of script-code runes. "It's like the Tower itself is watching us now."
"It always was," Kael muttered, eyes scanning the edges, "but this time, it's curious. Not hostile. Just... waiting."
"Waiting for what?" Roman asked.
Leon didn't answer at first. He was staring at the massive wall ahead—nearly three hundred feet high, forged from crystalline strands of Tower Law, twisted like an organic circuit board. At its center was a single archway, outlined in pale flame, with no door… only air that shimmered like it refused to be entered.
Then the Tower spoke.
[Pre-Council Gate – Access Condition: Architect-Seed Recognition]
Status: Dormant – Awaiting Initialization
