A space cleared around him as he walked, players stepping aside with expressions ranging from awe to uncertainty to desperate hope.
"Is it true?" someone called. "Is the merge really happening?"
Arthur stopped, scanning the crowd.
Hundreds of eyes fixed on him, hunger for reassurance naked on their faces.
Some had abandoned their jobs, their certainties—all on his word.
'Now I must give them something to believe in.'
"Yes," he said, voice carrying across the hushed square. "And we have work to do."
Wind rustled through the village, carrying whispers. Faces turned toward him—hundreds, then thousand, as word spread.
"Everyone, follow me."
Authority resonated in his voice. "I'll be making an announcement that every player in this village needs to hear."
He didn't wait for acknowledgement. He didn't need to.
Arthur strode toward the central plaza.
