This is because Aurelian knew he had been more reckless before.
Looking back now, it wasn't hard for him to admit that. There had been a time, not even that long ago, when anything hidden or unknown would pull him in almost without thinking.
If something looked sealed, abandoned, or half-dead from the outside, that alone had been enough reason to go in first and figure things out later. Back then, the idea of risk didn't carry the same weight because he didn't have much behind him to lose.
That had changed.
Larkspur Haven had changed that.
Helion Bastion Twelve had changed that.
Building something that actually mattered, something that depended on him staying alive and making the right calls, had changed the way he thought about these situations.
It wasn't just about what he could gain anymore. It was about what he could lose if he made the wrong move.
