Sarah woke with a name on her lips—a name she had never heard before, yet somehow knew. It was warm, like sunlight on skin, and it echoed in her mind long after the dream had faded.
She sat up in bed, her heart pounding. Julian was beside her, still asleep, his breathing slow and steady. She watched him for a moment, the lines of his face softened in the dim light. Then she rose and walked to the window.
The First City stretched before her, its towers gleaming with the soft luminescence of the Living City. The song of the multiverse wove through the air, beautiful and eternal. But beneath it, she could hear something else.
A whisper. Faint, barely audible, but insistent.
Sarah pressed her palm against the cool glass. The whisper grew louder, clearer. It was calling her. Calling to some
