The tremor did not come in the form of words. It was a raw, seismic shift in the cosmic substrate—a pulse of pure intent that washed over every entity tied to the tier system and the bridge network alike.
The Architect was questioning. The Architect was hesitating.
Sitting in the quiet of Drak'thar, Lord felt the anomaly clearly through his connection to the suppressed realities. Kael'thar's ancient fear was still deeply rooted in the network, but something entirely new had fractured its surface: doubt.
Uru appeared seamlessly at his side, her aura flickering in response to the ambient pressure. "You felt that."
"I felt it."
"What does a god's hesitation mean for us?"
Lord stared out toward the horizon, his expression unreadable. "It means Kael'thar is no longer blinded by their own certainty. It means they are finally listening."
"And their followers?"
A heavy silence stretched between them. "That," Lord said softly, "is the problem."
