The light returned.
Alex stood on the ridge, staring at the sky as the first rays of dawn broke through the darkness. The stars were still gone. The moon was still absent. But the sun had returned, casting long shadows across the mountains.
"The Origin is here," he said.
Sebastian appeared beside him. "How do you know?"
Alex shook his head. "I can feel it. It's like... a presence at the edge of my consciousness. Ancient. Patient. Waiting."
Sebastian was silent for a long moment. Then he said, "What does it want?"
Alex turned to face him. "I don't know. But I'm going to find out."
The message came that night.
Alex was in his quarters, meditating, when the air began to shimmer. A figure emerged from the shadows. Tall. Regal. His body shifting and changing, impossible to focus on. His
