---
The thought came, cold and clear. He did not celebrate it. Because power was not a gift.
Power was responsibility, danger, attention.
If he removed the training tool, his displayed battle power might jump.
And if it jumped, predators who hunted by sensing power might notice him from farther away.
That was risky. But also necessary.
Because the city would be full of people who measured you by what you displayed.
A merchant world. A politics world. A survival world.
He could not walk into that world as a man with fifteen hundred battle power if he wanted answers or influence.
He needed strength. He needed presence. He needed to be able to protect what he cared about.
Sekhmet's eyes flicked toward Lily, sleeping under her cloak, face turned slightly toward the fire.
His jaw tightened.
"I cannot let her die."
He did not say it out loud. He did not need to. He already proved it by jumping into that fight.
The wind shifted.
Woooo…
Sekhmet's senses sharpened instantly.
