The connection did not fade after everything settled, and that was the first thing Aurelion noticed clearly. It did not feel like something he had to reach for anymore. Before, he had to focus to sense the system, but now it stayed with him without effort. It did not feel separate. It felt like something that had accepted him as part of it, not above it and not beneath it, but somewhere in between.
He stood still, letting that understanding settle properly instead of rushing forward. The system did not overwhelm him or try to take control. It stayed balanced, steady, almost quiet in the way it held itself. That made it easier to think, easier to notice smaller changes that would have been missed before. And that was when he felt it.
Something else.
