The morning smelled of metal and warm earth. A fine haze lay over the city, growing from glass veins and fresh green, as if someone had connected the old world to the lungs of another. Above the rooftops, thin veils of Gold floated, pulsing gently in the first light – the breath of the Network, steady and deceptively peaceful.
Lina stood barefoot on the ramp of the Observation Tower. Under her soles, the glass was warm, as if it recognized her. Tiny lines ran criss-cross like writing only she could read. She closed her eyes. From the depths of the city, she perceived heartbeats that didn't come from bodies, but from connections. People touched the Network, the Network touched back – like a sea that knows every stone on the bottom, even those no one has ever lifted.
"You're awake too early," Alaric said behind her.
