The city felt different now that I knew I wasn't alone in it.
It hadn't changed in any visible way. The streets were still crowded, the buildings still stretched upward in rigid lines, and the constant hum of movement never truly faded. But something beneath all of that had shifted, something I could no longer ignore now that I was aware of it.
I was not just passing through this place.
I had been noticed.
And that made every step feel more deliberate than before.
I didn't turn immediately after Lucien spoke, though I could feel his presence behind me with a clarity that made distance irrelevant. It wasn't intrusive, and it wasn't overwhelming, but it was precise in a way that made it impossible to dismiss.
"You keep appearing at the exact moment I start understanding something," I said, keeping my voice steady as I finally turned to face him. "That's either very convenient or very intentional."
Lucien's expression remained unchanged, his gaze calm but attentive.
