The underground chamber hummed faintly, a rhythm that Waza felt more than heard. Every shadow seemed alive, every movement deliberate. Selene moved ahead, confident and calm, while he lingered behind, letting his eyes scan the room.
Mako approached him, voice low. "Quiet ones learn by seeing. But sometimes… you have to step forward to know where you stand."
Waza nodded. He wasn't ready to act recklessly, but observation alone wasn't enough anymore.
A table in the center of the room held ledgers, stacks of notes, and small tokens signs of influence, currency, and favors traded quietly beneath the city. Mako gestured toward them. "These are the currents. The money, the deals, the debts. Touch them lightly, and the Vein will guide you. Ignore them, and you'll never move above the surface."
Waza ran his fingers over the papers. Numbers, names, locations. Each told a story. Each revealed who held power, who could be swayed, and who demanded loyalty. He didn't have much money never had but he had attention, instincts, and patience. For now, that was enough.
A shadow fell beside him. Liora's eyes studied him, curious, calculating. "You feel it too, don't you?" she asked softly.
"The Vein," he replied.
Her lips curved faintly. "Most never notice. Most never survive long enough to learn its rhythm."
Selene touched his arm. "Start small," she advised. "Pick one task, one connection. Watch the results. That's how we grow influence here quietly, without drawing eyes you're not ready for."
Waza took a deep breath. He selected a small transaction a minor courier route, a delivery that no one else cared about. To everyone above, it was nothing. But to him, it was a chance to observe how trust moved, how loyalty shifted, and how control spread.
As he left the chamber, Selene beside him, Waza realized something. The city above wasn't chaotic. It was structured, layered, and alive. Every street, every alley, every shadow had purpose. And now, he had his first foothold.
The Vein pulsed stronger than before, as if acknowledging his first step.
Somewhere in the darkness, Liora watched silently. Waza didn't yet know whether her attention was a threat or an opportunity. But he felt it the quiet pull of someone else who understood the rhythm of the city as intimately as he did.
And for the first time, he wasn't just surviving. He was beginning to play.