The city was already awake when I opened the curtains.
Countless windows glowed against the morning sky, though many had never gone dark to begin with. Neon signs drifted between the towers like floating constellations, their colors bleeding into the rain that clung to the glass. Far below, ribbons of light flowed endlessly through the streets, weaving between one another with a precision that made the entire city feel alive.
I stood there longer than I intended.
There is a strange comfort in watching something so immense move without asking anything of you.
I flexed my hand before leaving.
The fingers answered instantly.
There was a time when even the smallest movement carried hesitation, as though my own body questioned every command I gave it. That uncertainty has become so quiet that I no longer notice its absence until moments like this.
I slipped on my coat and stepped into the crowd.
No one hurried.
No one lingered.
The city seemed to carry everyone exactly where they needed to be, as though an invisible current moved beneath the streets, gently pulling each soul forward.
Music drifted from somewhere overhead. I searched for the musicians before realizing there were none. The melody simply existed, following the streets as naturally as the wind.
I found myself smiling.
Not because anything remarkable had happened.
Because nothing had.
For the first time in longer than I care to measure, I walked without listening for warning signs. My thoughts did not wander ahead of me. They remained exactly where my feet were.
Here.
Now.
I crossed a bridge lined with flowering trees whose branches reached toward buildings dressed in light. Their blossoms caught the glow of passing signs, changing from violet to crimson to gold before falling into the river below. Even the water seemed determined to carry the city with it.
It is remarkable what mankind chooses to build once survival is no longer its only ambition.
A small bird landed beside me as I paused along the railing.
At least…
I believe it was a bird.
It tilted its head, studying me with bright glass eyes before taking flight without a sound, disappearing into the endless weave of lights above.
I laughed to myself.
Not because it was strange.
Because I realized it no longer seemed strange at all.
When I returned home this evening, I caught my reflection in the window before the room had a chance to brighten.
For the briefest moment, I did not search for the man I used to be.
I simply recognized the one standing before me.
And, to my own surprise…
that was enough.
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