The strain became visible.
On Earth, the twin Boundary Stars slipped further out of synchronization, their rotation no longer perfectly mirrored. The sky shimmered faintly at night, like heat distortion across glass.
Silver Eyes fought to compensate.
"I can stabilize mass," she whispered into the planetary lattice, "but not intent."
Without Kaito physically present, the axis lacked conscious correction. Micro-fractures spread invisibly along the equilibrium threads.
Tides surged unpredictably. Migratory patterns of birds collapsed overnight. Instruments in orbital stations detected rising gravitational inconsistencies.
Below, fear reignited.
"The eclipse returns," some cried.
"It never left," others answered.
Beyond the Boundary, Kaito felt the drift through the connection carved into him. The hunter's glyph burned sharply, warning of overload.
The distant star system pulsed violently as the foreign Hunger reacted to his forming lattice.
Two instabilities.
Two fronts.
One axis stretched too far.
For the first time since splitting the Origin—
Kaito realized balance was not infinite.
It had range.
And he was exceeding it.