Zane moved through the Sump not as a king, but as a ghost.
The Umbral Shroud, powered by the dense Essence of the Primes, wrapped him in a layer of perception-bending grey that made him invisible to anyone not looking directly at him.
He wasn't looking for trouble.
The city was terrified because the Seraphim flyover had sent the gangs scurrying into their holes, and the streets were empty save for the bravest scavengers.
Zane filtered out the Blue of misery and the Red of anger, ignoring the Violet static of the remaining deep cultists.
He searched for the calm, steady pulse of Acceptance.
It took him an hour.
He found the trail near the edge of the acid lakes, in a district that had been abandoned years ago due to toxic fumes.
The buildings here were melted, slumping into the mu
