The notification rang in Seraphina's mind like a silver bell.
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully reached Level 99.]
Seraphina stilled mid-step inside her office.
For a heartbeat, she simply stood there, staring at nothing as the words echoed through her consciousness. Then slowly... very slowly... a breath left her lungs.
Level 99.
It had taken her more than three years.
Three years of relentless work. Of rebuilding, negotiating, training, healing, sacrificing. Of waking before dawn and sleeping long after midnight. Of balancing governance, love, and destiny.
She turned toward the wide window on the fourth floor of the administrative building overlooking the city square.
Shadow City bustled below her.
