The storm around Steve was the first to change.
At some point, the violent pull of Essence stopped being something he resisted and became something he accepted. The green currents tightened, no longer random, no longer chaotic, and then began to circle him with intent. Lightning that had been restrained until now finally bled outward, but it didn't explode. It folded inward instead, crawling along his arms and shoulders in controlled arcs.
The shadows beneath him deepened.
Not spreading wildly, but sharpening, clinging close to his form like a second skin. They wrapped around his blade first, then traced the outline of his body, reacting to the lightning instead of opposing it.
Something invisible shifted.
His domain began to surface.
