Hairline fractures appeared — not in the sky.
In Kaito.
Silver Eyes noticed first.
His divided aura flickered slightly along its internal seam.
"You're splitting unevenly," she warned.
He felt it too.
Each external interference forced micro-corrections that accumulated inside him.
He stabilized the Boundary Stars.
He suppressed deep pulses.
He tolerated probes.
But he was still a single biological processor.
That night, one Boundary Star dimmed to 97% luminosity for six seconds.
Long enough for observatories worldwide to confirm it.
The world held its breath.