The presence in the distance grew stronger with each passing day.
Julian felt it in the song of the Living City, a thread that pulsed with a warmth unlike anything he'd encountered before. It wasn't demanding, not exactly. But it was insistent, gentle, and filled with a love that seemed to transcend time itself.
Sarah felt it too. She stood beside him in the Hall of Echoes, her eyes distant, her voice soft. "It's calling to us. Not like the others. This one is different."
Julian turned to look at her. "Different how?"
Sarah shook her head. "I don't know. But I feel like I've known it forever. Like it's been waiting for us since the beginning."
The First Ones appeared before them, their forms bright with ancient knowledge. The lead First One stepped forward, its voice filled with wonde
