The sun rose on Eidion without a single system alert.
No ambient notification hum. No flashing banners about daily quests. No subtle pulses guiding movements through the day.
Just sunlight.
It poured over the town like a blessing—natural and warm, casting long golden beams across the slanted rooftops, the dewy cobblestones, and the lingering shadows of a world reborn. Smoke curled softly from chimneys. Doors creaked open. Life resumed, but it did not resume as before.
Valerian stood at the edge of the square, arms crossed as he watched the townsfolk begin their morning. A child ran past, barefoot, chasing a wooden hoop. A blacksmith tested his hammer, the ring of metal on metal sharper than ever before. People talked not of levels or stats, but of real things—weather, food, dreams.
The entire world felt… raw. Unprotected. But honest.
