Seren returned on the seventh day.
This time—
without warning.
---
No scouts.
No signals.
No staged arrival.
---
She simply appeared—
at the edge of the node.
---
Kael was already waiting.
---
"Faster than expected," she said.
"You adapted slower than I hoped."
---
A flicker.
Respect.
---
"You evolved," she said.
"Yes."
---
She stepped forward.
Closer than before.
---
"This changes things."
"Good."
---
Silence.
Heavy.
Measured.
---
"You're no longer a regional anomaly," Seren said.
"You're becoming a system."
---
Kael didn't deny it.
---
"And that means," she continued,
"I can't test you anymore."
---
Dren shifted behind him.
"Then what?"
---
Seren's eyes never left Kael.
---
"I decide whether to compete…"
A pause.
---
"…or align."
---
That—
was bigger than war.
---
Elara smiled slowly.
Liora didn't move.
Alyne's breath shifted.
---
Kael stepped forward.
---
"Choose."
---
Seren held his gaze.
Long.
Hard.
---
Then—
she smiled.
---
"Not yet."
---
And that—
was the most dangerous answer possible.