The presence that had been calling to Sarah finally revealed itself.
It was not a being. It was not a place. It was an absence—a hollow space in the song of the multiverse where something vital had been removed. Sarah felt it the moment she stepped through the threshold of the Second Veil, a cold emptiness that seemed to press against her skin.
Julian felt it too. He stopped walking, his eyes scanning the horizon. "Something's wrong. The song is thinner here. Like something's been drained out of it."
Sarah nodded slowly, her hand reaching for his. "It's not just thinner. It's hollow. Like something took the essence of the song and left only the shell behind."
The First Ones appeared before them, their forms dim, their light flickering with concern. The lead First One stepped forward, i
