The first bloom appeared in the crater at sunrise.
Lena found it during her morning walk—a flower unlike any she had ever seen. Its petals were translucent, shimmering with all the colors of the spectrum. It pulsed with a gentle warmth, like a heartbeat. And when she knelt beside it, she heard a whisper.
"Thank you. For freeing us."
Lena touched the petal. It was soft, warm, alive. "Who are you?"
"We are the Wellspring. The source of the Symbionts. The origin of all connection. The Devourer was our shadow. Now that it is gone, we can finally speak."
---
The Wellspring revealed itself slowly.
Over the following weeks, more flowers appeared—not just in the crater, but across the Divide. They grew in fields, in forests, along the banks of the rivers. Each one pulsed with light and warm
