Asher stayed in the layered region, hidden just outside direct detection.
He didn't move much now. The work was done. The markers were in place. The timelines were clear.
Then the change came.
It wasn't loud.
It wasn't dramatic.
One control signal shifted priority.
Asher felt it immediately.
The builders had committed.
The framework began drawing energy inward, not as storage, but as alignment. Systems that had been idle activated together. The structure stopped expanding outward and started compressing inward.
That was the sign.
Core assembly had begun.
Asher moved.
He didn't enter through the old transit point. That path was monitored now. Instead, he stepped directly into the layered space using his own access, appearing far above the framework.
Below him, automated systems worked with precise timing. Origin channels opened in sequence. Stability fields formed a shell around the center.
They were careful.
They were experienced.
But they were missing one thing.
