The c***k in the deep ocean floor had pulsed for eons without thought. It was not alive. Not conscious. Not aware. It was simply a rupture where the Earth's crust had split, releasing heat and minerals into the cold water. But something had changed. The bridge's reaching had touched that rupture. Not physically. Conceptually. The space between everything had found the space between tectonic plates. And for the first time, the void beneath the c***k began to consider. --- Lyra felt the shift as a chill in her bones. She was in the garden, planting late-season tomatoes. The sun was warm. The soil was soft. But her hands trembled. Solace found her leaning on the fence. "What is it?" "Something deep. Under the ocean. The bridge mentioned it before. Something old and empty." "The void?

