Lincoln's POV:
There is actually a moment—right before something irreversible happens—when the world grows quieter than even before.
Not just silent, it's totally quiet-lile literally.
As if reality itself pauses, holding its breath, waiting to see whether it will be pushed.
I felt that moment arrive three weeks after our return from the Pale Verge.
It came without warning.
I was standing on the eastern parapet of Duskbane, watching the city wake. Morning light spilled across the black stone rooftops, catching on banners and window glass. Merchants were already setting up along the lower terraces, voices carrying upward in a gentle hum of routine. Children ran freely near the fountains, laughing as one of Star’s lingering light-creatures drifted lazily through the air, dissolving int
