The city didn't resist us anymore.
That was the first thing I noticed.
Walls no longer leaned inward.Shadows didn't thicken when we passed.Even the air felt less hostile — not friendly, but accepting.
As if something inside the world had decided to stop testing whether I deserved to continue.
Or worse—
As if it had accepted that I would, regardless.
Arjun walked on his own now, shoulders still tense but steps steady. He kept touching the wolf-fang bracelet in my pocket like he needed confirmation it was real — that he was real.
The girl walked slightly ahead of me.
Not leading.Not following.
Choosing.
Aaryan stayed to my left, hands behind his back, eyes flicking between streets, signs, reflections — always calculating.
"You feel different," he said casually."Not stronger. Not weaker."
He glanced at me sideways.
"Denser."
I didn't deny it.
Inside me, the other Ishaan wasn't silent anymore.
He wasn't speaking either.
He was aware.
