Ryan's blood ran cold as the voice echoed through the garden.
It was soft, gentle, ancient—like wind through old trees, like water over smooth stones. But beneath the gentleness, there was something else. Something that had been waiting for a very long time.
The door of nothing pulsed once, then twice, then settled into a steady rhythm. No light emerged from it. No shadow. Just absence. Just the space between.
Mira grabbed Ryan's hand. "Dada, I can't feel anything from it. It's like it doesn't exist."
Ryan's scar blazed. "I can feel it. It's watching us."
The voice came again, softer this time.
"I have been watching for longer than you can imagine. I watched the First create the mirrors. I watched the echoes rise and fall. I watched the Hunters seal the doors. I watched the void empt
