The reconstruction of New Arusha was not merely a construction project; it was an act of biological defiance. One month had passed since the Second Flare shattered the Syndicate’s local grip, and the city was unrecognizable. Where there had once been the sterile, grey slabs of the Southern Citadels, there was now a sprawling, vertical forest. The nanobotanical vines had hardened into a substance stronger than carbon fiber, creating natural bridges and living corridors that pulsed with a soft, amber light at night.
Nala stood on the high balcony of the Cradle of Meru, her eyes scanning the horizon. Below her, thousands of people former laborers, refugees, and disillusioned Syndicate technicians were working together. They weren't building with cranes and concrete; they were guiding the gro
