(Mirabel's POV)
Creator.
The word echoed through me.
Through my bones.
Through my memories.
Through places inside myself I had never known existed.
The city had spoken.
And it had called me—
Creator.
"No."
The answer escaped before I could stop it.
The beam of light remained.
Connecting me to the heart of the city.
To the soul it had chosen.
To whatever impossible truth waited beneath reality.
"I'm not."
The city disagreed.
Not with words.
With certainty.
Around us, the skyline blazed.
Every street.
Every window.
Every impossible structure.
Awake.
Alive.
Watching.
The Silence remained at the threshold.
Motionless.
Observing.
Even it seemed interested.
That frightened me more than its hunger ever had.
Yesterday stared at me.
Her eyes wide.
Not surprised.
Re
