The world held its breath.
What once had been ruins and rust began to glow—quietly, unobtrusively, but steadily. Golden lines crept across streets, merged with the foundations of old cities, penetrated concrete, metal, earth. The Network spread like a vein under the planet's skin.
People saw it first at night: a glimmer in the windows, a hum in the power lines, a light coming from the ground, not the sky. Some feared it, others prayed to it.
And somewhere, between these reactions, Rhea sat over maps and scans, while Alaric and Eiko silently packed up the camp.
"The Network now has four main nodes," said Rhea without looking up. "Northeast, West, South... and one directly beneath us. All connected. All active."
Eiko leaned over the screen. "This is no longer just energy flow. These are communication channels. It's speaking."
Alaric stepped to the window, looking out over the field now glowing golden. "Then someone is listening."
