:root {
      --bg:           #0b1020;      /* primary dark navy */
      --bg-2:         #0e1428;      /* alternating section */
      --bg-3:         #111835;      /* card surfaces */
      --line:         rgba(255,255,255,0.08);
      --line-2:       rgba(255,255,255,0.14);

      --white:        #FFFFFF;
      --gray-100:     #F1F5F9;
      --gray-300:     rgba(255,255,255,0.78);
      --gray-400:     #94a3b8;
      --gray-500:     #64748B;

      --blue:         #6f53c1;
      --blue-strong:  #5841a3;
      --blue-soft:    rgba(111,83,193,0.12);
      --blue-line:    rgba(111,83,193,0.30);

      /* ---- AE Cohort phase accents ----
         Palette mirrors the live AI Engineering LP (blue-indigo-amber-green).
         Used inside curriculum cards and roadmap. Purple stays the dominant
         brand-cohort accent everywhere else (CTAs, nav, pricing, hero glow). */
      --phase-1:      #3B82F6;   /* Blue   - Phase 01: Foundations              */
      --phase-1-soft: rgba(59,130,246,0.10);
      --phase-1-line: rgba(59,130,246,0.30);
      --phase-2:      #818cf8;   /* Indigo - Phase 02: Platforms & cloud        */
      --phase-2-soft: rgba(129,140,248,0.10);
      --phase-2-line: rgba(129,140,248,0.30);
      --phase-3:      #fbbf24;   /* Amber  - Phase 03: Transformation & orch    */
      --phase-3-soft: rgba(251,191,36,0.10);
      --phase-3-line: rgba(251,191,36,0.30);
      --phase-4:      #34D399;   /* Green  - Phase 04: Production & launch      */
      --phase-4-soft: rgba(52,211,153,0.10);
      --phase-4-line: rgba(52,211,153,0.30);

      --green:        #10B981;
      --green-soft:   rgba(16,185,129,0.10);

      --radius:       12px;
      --radius-lg:    16px;
      --radius-pill:  999px;
      --radius-btn:   8px;

      --section-y:    120px;
      --section-y-m:  72px;
    }