The golden eyes opened. And reality forgot how to breathe. Silence spread across the Origin Layer. Not ordinary silence. This represented the quiet of old matters acknowledging what they wished never to witness once more. The crimson winds stopped. The shattered moons froze. Even the cracks spreading through existence halted mid-fracture. Everything waited. Watching. Listening. Fearful. Luna felt it immediately. The pressure. Not physical. Not magical. Something deeper. A crushing awareness pressing against her mind. Like some old mind just now realizing she was there. And was deciding whether she mattered. The feeling made her blood run cold. Beside her, Kael stiffened. What... His voice barely came out. Those words appeared far too tiny compared to what they faced. Deep beneath, within t
