The change became noticeable the closer she got.
The scattered movement of civilians gradually gave way to something far more organized, far more controlled. Groups of guards replaced the casual flow of people, their presence forming a structured perimeter around the base of the skyscraper.
They moved with precision.
Uniform. Alert.
Each of them wore identical red combat gear, its glossy surface reflecting the surrounding light in sharp, clean lines. The equipment strapped across their bodies hummed faintly with restrained energy, the kind that didn't need to be shown to be understood. It was there—in the air, in the way the space around them seemed to carry weight.
But it was their eyes that held her attention.
Colors shifted within them, layered and alive, catching the light in ways that felt unnatural. And their auras—
Even suppressed, they pressed outward with a suffocating intensity that made her chest tighten ever so slightly as she approached.
