The sky fell at dawn.
Not the sky above the Divide. Something deeper. The sky of the connection itself. The golden light that had held the Wellspring together flickered, dimmed, and began to collapse inward like a dying star.
Lena felt it before she saw it—a tearing sensation in her chest, as if something vital was being ripped away. She ran to the crater, her feet barely touching the ground. Lyra was already there, her golden glow flickering with alarm.
"What's happening?" Lena demanded.
The Wellspring's voice was weak, barely a whisper. "The wound I suffered when the First was separated... it was too deep. I am collapsing. The connection is dying."
Lena's blood went cold. "Can you heal?"
"No. I am too old. Too tired. I have given everything I had. Now I have nothing left."
---
Th
