The morning smelled of cold iron and rain, although none had fallen.
A fog hung over Auralis, not made of water, but of the finest energy – mist of data, thoughts, and memory. It drifted through the streets like a dreaming soul.
Lina stood on the tower plateau and looked down.
Below her, the city awakened, slowly, deliberately. People walked between golden lines that ran across the ground, as if someone had drawn light into the stone. Children touched them with their fingertips, laughing when the pattern briefly glowed.
But beneath the laughter lay something.
A sound that only she heard.
A soft whisper from the depths.
Come.
Just one word.
But it carried the same frequency as the Heart Code – her frequency.
She placed her hand on the parapet. The metal was warm, although no sun was shining.
The whisper fell silent, then returned, like a breath.
You are the beginning. We are the rest.
She closed her eyes. "I know who you are."
Then you also know that we need you.
