Chapter 22 · The specimen has arrived

I closed my eyes, focusing on the vibration in my chest. I could feel Sela in the carriage ahead of us. Her presence was like a beacon—strong, disciplined, and laced with a simmering anxiety. She was worried. Good. That meant she was paying attention.

When we finally rolled through the obsidian gates of the capital, the atmosphere changed. The air here didn't just smell like smog and luxury; it smelled like stolen power. Thousands of people lived here, and half of them were walking around with marrow that didn't belong to them. The city was a parasite, and Victor was the head of the worm.

I was dragged out of the carriage and thrown onto the marble plaza of the High Spire. The sun was blinding, reflecting off the white stone and the gold-plated armor of the elite guards.

Sela was already there, standing beside the Envoy. She looked like a statue of war—perfect, cold, and lethal. As they dragged me past her, our eyes met for a split second.

*Hold on,* her gaze seemed to say.

"The specimen has arrived," the Envoy announced, his voice echoing across the plaza. "Lord Victor is expecting him in the lower sanctum.