They reached the city at dusk.

  Stone walls rose higher than the last town's. Trade banners hung from the outer gate. Caravan lines stretched along the road, wagons creaking under crates of ore and grain.

  Lyra slowed slightly.

  "This is Valmere," she said. "Trade city. Politically neutral."

  "Neutral sounds good," Grey replied.

  "It means they allow everyone inside."

  "Neutral sounds worse."

  She didn't disagree.

  As they approached the gate, Grey activated Emotional Insight.

  Excitement. Fatigue. Suspicion. Greed.

  Normal city noise.

  But beneath it—

  Curiosity.

  He glanced upward.

  A mage stood on the gate tower holding a crystal lens.

  Scanning arrivals.

  "Routine?" Grey asked quietly.

  Lyra nodded. "Storm activity has been reported regionally. They'll be alert."

  Of course they would.

  They passed beneath the archway.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Grey felt it immediately.

  A scanning pulse.

  More advanced than the last town.

  His Stormbound core reacted instinctively.

  He forced it down.

  Keep it quiet.

  The guard stepped forward.

  "Names and origin."

  "Grey. Independent."

  "Lyra. Independent."

  The guard's gaze lingered on them longer than comfortable.

  Then he nodded.

  "Storm disturbances outside city limits are under investigation. Avoid large mana usage inside walls."

  Grey smiled politely.

  "Not planning fireworks."

  They entered.

  Valmere was larger than Grey expected.

  Three-tiered streets. Stone plazas. Mage towers interwoven with merchant guild halls.

  And something else.

  Postings.

  Large boards at intersections.

  Grey slowed as they passed the first.

  A parchment at the center bore a silver sigil.

  His stomach dropped.

  He read it.

  Argent Veil Notice

  Wanted for questioning regarding unauthorized storm manifestation:

  Female, approx. 19Male, approx. 19Storm-affiliated evolutions

  Reward: 30 gold per capture.Alive preferred.

  Grey exhaled slowly.

  "That's new."

  Lyra's expression hardened.

  "They escalated publicly."

  Thirty gold.

  That was life-changing money for most adventurers.

  Emotional Insight flared.

  Nearby passerby reading the notice: Interest.

  Greed.

  Calculation.

  Grey forced himself not to react visibly.

  "Okay," he said quietly. "That changes things."

  "Yes."

  "We can't just hide."

  "No."

  He looked at the board again.

  "They're framing it as 'questioning.'"

  "That's how they operate. Legal ambiguity."

  Grey thought for a moment.

  Then something clicked.

  "If they made it public, they want to flush us."

  "Yes."

  "So we don't hide from it."

  Lyra studied him.

  "You want to bait them?"

  "I want to control where it happens."

  She didn't answer immediately.

  Then—

  A faint smile.

  "You're learning."

  They rented a modest room near the outer district under false surnames.

  Grey sat on the edge of the bed and opened his status.

  Level 11.

  Stormbound Initiate.

  Lightning Channel Lv. 3.

  He needed control.

  Raw power wasn't enough anymore.

  He opened the skill tree.

  New branch unlocked:

  Storm Discipline.

  Sub-skills:

  Pulse Control

  Static Shield

  Conduction Mapping

  Overdraw Limit Break (Locked)

  He invested his point into Pulse Control.

  A subtle shift settled inside him.

  The storm no longer surged outward reflexively.

  It waited.

  That night, he lay awake.

  Storm Sense flickered faintly.

  Argent Veil agents were already in the city.

  Watching.

  Waiting.

  He smiled slightly in the dark.

  Good.

  Let them.