Dawn had not yet fully broken, but the sky had already changed color.
Not the deep red as it had been before.
Instead, a pale gradient that felt unfamiliar, as if the world was still adjusting to the new balance that had just been formed.
Aurelia stood on ground that had returned to calm.
The second node they had stabilized earlier now only left a thin line, almost invisible.
But she knew.
It was not truly gone.
Only… dormant.
Waiting.
Kael walked past the subsided circle.
He observed the change carefully.
"This is interesting," he murmured.
Ragnar let out a faint snort.
"If it doesn't explode, I'm not interested."
Orion stood a little further away.
His eyes were closed, trying to feel the flow of energy that now shifted direction.
"The network is starting to form a new pattern."
Aurelia turned.
"What kind of pattern?"
Orion slowly opened his eyes.
"No longer heading toward a single center."
He paused for a moment.
"But spreading out."
Silence fell.
