The world did not end with a bang or a whimper but with the absolute silence of a held breath. Elara stood in the center of the Great Plaza, her hand still locked in Julian's grip, watching a single autumn leaf hover motionless three inches from the ground. The wind had vanished, the dust stayed suspended in shafts of stagnant light, and even the frantic beat of her own heart felt distant, muffled by the weight of a universe that had simply stopped.
Julian, Elara whispered, though the sound of her voice didn't travel far. It felt flat, swallowed by the unnatural vacuum of the plaza.
Julian was looking up at the sky. His posture was rigid, his golden eyes scanning the massive, unblinking eye of steel that now replaced the clouds. We are in a closed loop, he said, his voice a low rumble
