The city breathed, but not in any way I recognized. Screens flickered along facades, their glow fractured, voices spilling through speakers in fragments, glitching but unmistakable. Distant streetlights pulsed in rhythm with some invisible command. Pedestrians stopped mid-step, heads turning in unison, obeying instructions I couldn't see. Even the stray dogs seemed to pause, their ears cocked, waiting for the next signal.
Soft hum… rain tapping on metal… distant clatter…
I froze on the corner, coat clinging to my back, eyes narrowing. Every system I'd ever manipulated, every trick I'd used to bend the Veins to my will, now looked like child's play. The Architect wasn't just a player; he was the entire game. And I'd been fumbling with the pieces.
Fragments of his distorted broadcast cut through the hum:
"…well played…"
"…exactly as planned…"
"…you've moved where I wanted…"
The city obeyed instantly. Every pedestrian, every machine, every flicker of light conformed without question. My chest tightened. My hands itched to do something—anything—but the realization hit me like a punch: this wasn't a system I could outmaneuver. Not yet.
I muttered under my breath, sarcasm scraping its way through fear. "Guess I was just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic."
The rain slid down my hood, dripping into my eyes, and I wiped it away. People moved mechanically, almost gracefully, like marionettes with invisible strings. Traffic lights synced to their steps. Automated vehicles paused and resumed in unison. The hum of the city itself became a single note, an orchestration of compliance that pressed in from every side.
I took a slow step forward, letting the wet asphalt slick beneath my boots, watching the spectacle. Even with every manipulation I'd mastered, every shadow I'd bent to my will, the Architect's hand was everywhere, guiding, shaping, anticipating. And still… I couldn't help the flicker of amusement that slid beneath my ribs.
"Fun times," I muttered, voice low enough for only the rain to hear. "So this is the city's heartbeat. Fun times ahead."
I pivoted, scanning the streets, the alleys, the screens that now felt like eyes. Every move I'd made every victory, every betrayal, every clever twist was a warm-up act. The real performance hadn't started.
And yet, somewhere beneath the awe, beneath the creeping fear, the spark remained. The spark that noticed the cracks. The spark that refused to bow completely. The spark that still smirked, even as the city danced to someone else's tune.
I let my eyes drift to a corner screen, one that glitched with an almost deliberate mockery, showing my own shadow moving along the rain-slick streets. I blinked. The city had me cataloged. Observed. Predicted. And I… well, I was still standing.
I exhaled slowly, pulling my coat tighter against the rain. The storm had arrived, but the real fun? That was just beginning.
"Time to see how well I play in someone else's orchestra," I whispered, letting the words fade into the hum of the city.