Five years after the passing, the silver light returned to the eastern horizon.
Kaela saw it first—a faint pulse, like a heartbeat, visible just before dawn. She stood on the wall where her mother had stood, where her grandfather had stood, where three generations of her family had watched for the end of the world.
The Deepening is waking, the void said.
"I see it."
It is angry. Hungry. Empty.
"Same as always."
This time, it will not stop.
"Neither will I."
---
Elara climbed the wall beside her daughter.
She was sixty-two now, her body frail, her eyes still sharp. She carried no sword. She didn't need one.
"How long?" she asked.
"Days. Maybe hours. The Deepening is moving faster than before."
"It's desperate."
"Or it's confident."
Elara took her daughter's hand.
"Either way
