Weeks passed after Lucien's enlightenment.
He had just begun to settle into the rhythm that followed clarity when the Obsidian Tower shook.
He felt it first as pressure. It's not a violent impact but a deliberate disturbance that traveled through the Obsidian Tower's structure.
The vibration was uneven, playful in a way that made no sense for something so massive.
The tower was being shaken.
No. It was being handled.
Lucien opened his eyes.
The Obsidian Tower had endured far worse than environmental turbulence. For it to respond like this meant the source was neither accidental nor small.
He moved toward the entrance.
The moment his vision aligned with the outer threshold, Lucien stopped.
From beyond the gaping maw of the tower, something stared inward.
An eye.
It filled his field of view.
It was larger than the entrance itself. It's so vast that its curvature could not be perceived at once.
