The city was a sprawling, suffocating beast, far more complex than the barren mountain. Kiran melted into its shadows, a ghost amidst the ceaseless thrum of everyday life. The chill of the mountain air had given way to the stale, recycled breath of a metropolis. Everywhere, he saw signs of Neo-Eclipse's tightened grip: new surveillance cameras glinting like watchful eyes, unmarked vans lurking in alleyways, and the chilling, almost imperceptible presence of Alpha units. He'd catch a glimpse of their dark, featureless helmets, or the glint of a crimson A symbol, and his heart would hammer a frantic beat against his ribs. They moved with a disturbing, cold efficiency, blending into the background until they chose to reveal themselves.
He ducked into crowded markets, used the labyrinthine subway tunnels, and scaled forgotten fire escapes, always moving, always adapting. The seed inside him hummed, a constant, low thrumming that was both a shield and a burden. It sharpened his senses, let him anticipate a guard's patrol route before he saw them, or feel the slight shift in air currents that indicated an unseen doorway. But it also hummed with a quiet, internal pressure, a raw, untamed power that threatened to burst from his skin if he faltered.
He saw the city's people, rushing to work, laughing with friends, oblivious to the monstrous shadow growing beneath their world. A renewed sense of purpose solidified in him. This wasn't just about Liam anymore, or his own survival. It was about protecting these countless, unaware lives from the coming Great Eclipse. He needed to find Elena, not just for safety, but because she held the key – the Eclipse Codex – and with it, perhaps, a way to fight back. He scanned every cafe, every bus stop, every public screen, desperately searching for a sign, any sign, of her.