The silence was the first sign.
Alex was in the command center, reviewing intelligence with Sebastian, when the sound simply stopped. Not faded. Not dimmed. Stopped. The hum of the generators, the click of keyboards, the distant murmur of voices—all of it vanished in an instant.
Sebastian looked up, his face pale. "What was that?"
Alex shook his head. "I don't know. But I can feel it. Something's here."
The air began to shimmer. A figure emerged from the shadows. Tall. Ethereal. Its body shifting and changing, impossible to focus on. Its eyes burned with a light that seemed to echo through eternity.
"Alexander Knight," the figure said. Its voice was soft, almost a whisper, but it seemed to resonate through every atom of Alex's being. "I have been waiting for you."
Alex stepped forwar
