The Core's stifling silence pressed down on me like a weight. Each step seemed to echo too far, swallowed too fast.
And yet, it felt good to be moving again.
The prospect of the wildlands tugged at me. What kind of people lived out there? Freya had called them barbaric, but strong. A society where every man and woman was a Hunter, forced to be, just to survive. How different would that be from Earth? Or even the outpost I'd glimpsed, carved into the cliff face with towers and armored knights pacing the walls?
The thoughts spun out freely, drifting into speculation I'd never allowed myself before.
And what made it possible to indulge in them, even here, where every tree could hide a predator, was the Bimodal Nerve Matrix.
Parallel thought.
One awareness stayed anchored in the present, scanning every rustle of the undergrowth, mapping paths between roots and shadow, eyes sharp, steps cautious.
