The road from the plains opened to a valley wrapped in haze. There, at its heart, stood Varyn Reach — a city carved from stone and light.
Great pillars rose like petrified trees, their surfaces etched with faintly glowing symbols that pulsed in rhythm with the earth's essence. The city walls shimmered faintly, reinforced by embedded glyphs that gave the impression of silent watchers guarding every gate.
Mira's eyes gleamed as they approached. "Now this… this is civilization."
Daniel smiled faintly. "You mean a place with food that isn't dry bread."
"Exactly. Preferably something that doesn't explode."
He laughed softly, remembering the glyph mishap days earlier. Yet as they entered through the gate, the Codex pulsed within him.
> [Warning: Essence Suppression Array Detected.]
[Recommendation: Mask lightning signature to avoid identification.]
Daniel drew a slow breath, dimming the electric hum under his skin. The air here was thick, restrained — even the wind felt filtered. Guards stood with polished bronze mirrors etched with runes, scanning each traveler. The reflection shimmered faintly as he stepped forward, but the Codex adjusted his flow.
The mirror cleared.
"Next," the guard grunted.
They passed through without a glance.
---
Varyn Reach was different from any city Daniel had seen. Every street seemed carved with purpose — structured, geometric, precise. Merchants called out, but their tones were measured. Essence flowed faintly through metal rails along the streets, lighting the city from beneath.
"Creepy," Mira muttered. "Everything feels… watched."
Daniel nodded. "It's the glyphs. This whole city's built on them."
They wandered deeper, finally stopping at the Ironveil Quarter, where blacksmiths and artificers worked under constant haze and heat. Sparks danced in the air like fireflies.
At one forge, a massive man stood hammering metal that glowed faintly white. His single amber eye gleamed through the smoke.
"You're standing in the wrong place," he said without turning. "My forge doesn't like strangers."
Mira smirked. "Neither do I."
The man grunted, finally lowering his hammer. His gaze landed on Daniel — sharp, appraising.
"You've got the look of someone who listens to the world," he said. "You hear the hum yet?"
Daniel hesitated. "The hum?"
"The pulse beneath everything. Most cultivators drown it out with pride. But the ancients… they listened."
He gestured at the forge wall, where faint lines had been carved — glyphs, half-erased and cracked by time.
Daniel stepped closer. "These… they're ancient glyphs."
Haran's brow rose. "So you know the name. Not many do."
He took a half-finished blade from the fire. "Glyphs were the ancients' language. Essence obeyed thought — not element. But the sects called it heresy. Said it corrupted the natural flow."
"Did it?" Mira asked.
Haran smiled grimly. "No. It gave mortals freedom. That's what scared them."
He dipped a brush into glowing liquid essence and traced a curve across the anvil. The mark shimmered — light and earth energy intertwining into a perfect spiral that hardened into metal.
Daniel's breath caught. "You just fused two elements."
"Not fused," Haran said quietly. "Aligned. The world bends when you speak its true name."
The Codex stirred.
> [Foreign Pattern Detected: Primordial Script Signature Confirmed.]
[Potential expansion path: Glyph Integration.]
Daniel's hand trembled slightly. He felt the same resonance as the cracked tablet from Veilreach — stronger, purer.
---
But before he could ask more, shouts echoed outside.
"By order of the Golden Earth Sect, open the forge!"
Haran's expression hardened. "They've felt the glyph's pulse."
He turned to Daniel. "Take this."
He pressed a small metallic disk into Daniel's hand — etched with half a sigil, glowing faintly with both light and earth essence. "If you meet a boy with silver eyes… show him this."
"Why?"
"He'll understand."
The door splintered. Guards poured in, armor etched with suppression runes. "Forbidden energy detected! Surrender or face purification!"
Mira drew her dagger. "We really can't have a normal day, can we?"
Haran roared, slamming his hammer down. The ground shook, molten ore rising in a wall of fire and stone. "Go! Out the back!"
Daniel hesitated, lightning crackling faintly across his arm. "I can help—"
"Not yet, boy!" Haran shouted. "Your storm isn't ready!"
A rune spear tore through the molten barrier. Daniel caught Mira's wrist, pulling her into the alley as the forge exploded behind them.
---
They sprinted through narrow streets, the sound of pursuit closing in. Guards shouted, essence flaring. Daniel turned, his eyes glowing faintly as lightning surged along his arms — controlled this time, calm and sharp. He struck once, the air snapping with blue fire. A suppression rune shattered.
"Go!" Mira yelled.
Then — a spear of solid stone hurtled toward him.
He braced—
—but it shattered midair, dissolving into harmless dust.
A faint hum followed, low and clear.
A young man stood a few paces away, his presence quiet yet commanding. Black hair streaked with silver fell over sharp eyes — silver-gray, calm as moonlight. Around him, the air shimmered faintly with both Light and Earth essence, perfectly balanced.
The guards froze. "Young Master Rio!"
Rio's tone was even. "You attacked travelers within my district. Explain yourselves."
"They were seen using forbidden glyphs—"
"Then the fault lies in your ignorance," Rio said softly, his gaze flicking briefly toward Daniel. "Glyphs are not forbidden in my reach — only misuse."
Light flared from his palm, weaving silently into the air. The ground's essence stilled — the guards' weapons grew heavy, pinned by invisible weight.
"Leave," Rio said simply.
The men hesitated, then fled without a word.
Silence settled.
Rio approached, studying Daniel with quiet curiosity. "You carry something old… something that shouldn't exist anymore."
Daniel tensed. "You can sense it?"
Rio smiled faintly. "The earth hums when something lost returns. Be careful how loud your storm sings — some will want to silence it."
Before Daniel could reply, Rio turned away.
"Varyn Reach doesn't welcome chaos," he said softly. "Leave before nightfall."
Then he was gone — swallowed by the calm streets.
The Codex pulsed faintly.
> [Resonance Match Detected — Unknown Source: 78% Compatibility.]
[Warning: Monitoring trace established.]
Daniel stared after him, the metallic sigil heavy in his hand.
---
By night, they slipped beyond the city walls. The plains stretched silent under a pale moon.
Mira dropped beside the campfire, exhausted. "Remind me never to visit a city again."
Daniel smiled faintly. "You said you wanted civilization."
"Not the kind that tries to arrest me every time you glow."
He chuckled, then turned the sigil over in his palm.
The runes pulsed softly, whispering — like two hearts beating out of sync.
> [Artifact Identified: Sigil of Resonance — Incomplete.]
[Linked Frequency Detected: Subject 'Rio'.]
Daniel looked toward the sleeping city. Somewhere in there, Rio — the boy of light and earth — had recognized the storm within him.
"The ancients didn't die out," he murmured. "They just scattered."
Lightning flickered quietly across his fingers, reflecting off the sigil's glow.
And for the first time, he felt it — the beginning of connection.
Not just power. A network waiting to awaken.