The Lightning Tower's glow had become a nocturnal landmark, visible for miles around Arcadia. But tonight, as the sun dipped below the horizon, the sky itself seemed to pulse with latent power. Dark clouds churned overhead, backlit by the Origin Halo's pale ring, and every rumble of thunder felt like a heartbeat vibrating through the world.
I found Yuria Blitzfang at the base of the tower, her eyes reflecting the storm's electric fury. She stood alone on the platform, boots planted firmly on the metal grates, lightning crackling in her hair like living strands of energy. Her cloak of braided copper wires fluttered in the gale. She looked like a storm incarnate, a child of thunder and brimstone.
"Architect," she called, voice rising above the wind. "This is it. The final trial I asked for."
I took a deep breath of charged air. "The Trial of Thunderheart."
