I watched North and Steve from a distance as they continued their advancement, both of them fully immersed now, their presence steady against the pressure of the dead star. The Essence around them moved with purpose, responding to their control rather than resisting it. There was no need for me to intervene. They had crossed the point where outside assistance would only get in the way.
I turned my attention inward instead.
The final Essence requirement for talent level up ticked over without fanfare. The moment it did, something shifted inside me.
A tremor ran through my body, deep, like something fundamental had been struck. The generator code embedded within my heart thumped once, heavily, and a ripple spread outward from my chest. It wasn't Essence at first. It was structure. Pattern. Then the restraints that had been present within the generator code flashed apart, dissolving into streams of information and energy that surged through my channels.
