Aurelion did not announce the transition.
It never did when the moment mattered.
The garden thinned first—not vanishing, but loosening, as though reality itself were exhaling. Light dimmed into deeper hues. The bioluminescent leaves stilled, their glow retreating into veins like blood pulled back beneath skin.
Anna felt it before she understood it.
Pressure.
Not physical—existential. The sense of being narrowed, focused, and prepared.
Lexus felt it too. She saw it in the way his posture shifted, how his hand flexed once at his side, restrained instinct barely contained.
“They’re closing ranks,” he said quietly.
Anna nodded. “I know.”
The city’s hum deepened—not hostile, but intent. Aurelion was listening in a way that suggested consequences.
“Councils have entered convergence,” t
