The Grey retreated three miles overnight. For the first time in months, the eastern fields were brown again. Not green. Not alive. But not grey. The farmers walked out at dawn, touching the soil, crying.
The hundred vessels felt it together. A pulse of warmth. The void's light, spread thin but present.
Grell stood at the edge of the reclaimed land, golden light flickering under her skin. "The Grey is not gone. It's waiting."
"Let it wait," the farmer said. He knelt and planted another seed.
---
Sarah walked the line where the Grey had been.
The boundary was clear now. Brown soil on one side. Grey mist on the other. The Grey did not advance. It did not retreat further. It simply watched.
"The void says the Grey is confused."
Elara stood beside her mother. "The void says a lot of thi
