The departure from the Obsidian Sector was not celebrated with cosmic fireworks or grand narratives echoing through the heavens. The universe was now too "real" for such spectacles. As The Memory of Water glided away from the black glass cathedral—now beginning to be overgrown by space moss—Jian felt a different kind of silence. This was not the silence of "The Void," but the silence of a Blank Canvas.
"All variables are locked," reported X from the co-pilot's seat. Her face, which for decades had looked strained by the burden of data and the duty of a protector, now appeared soft under the light of neutral stars. "The Vanguard-Trace indicator on your chest no longer shows a number, Jian. It shows only one symbol: ∞ (Infinity)."
Jian stared at his hands. The lines on his palms were rough
