Something smiled beyond possibility.
And that—
Terrified the Watcher.
Not visibly.
Not emotionally.
But the expanding layer reacted instantly.
The futures overhead destabilized.
Observation pathways flickered.
Even the Watcher's perfect stillness broke for half a second.
Adrian noticed immediately.
"…You know that presence."
The Watcher remained silent.
Too silent.
Lyra pointed dramatically.
"…Yep."
"…That's cosmic panic."
Kaelith's voice sharpened.
"External entity detected beyond observational boundary."
Aria frowned.
"…There's another one?"
Seraphine whispered,
"…No…"
A pause.
"…Something higher."
Elara's gaze darkened slightly.
"…Or older."
The smile beyond possibility lingered.
Not threatening.
Not hostile.
Interested.
And somehow—
That felt worse.
The stranger beside Adrian finally looked genuinely uneasy for the first time.
"…It shouldn't be awake yet."
Adrian glanced at him.
"…That sounds incredibly concerning."
"Yes."
Fair enough.
