Atlas walked the main path through the Free Zone, hands in his pockets. The morning air felt heavier than usual. Twelve Reef refugees had arrived two weeks ago, and the place still hadn't settled. Not in a bad way. Just... constantly adjusting.
A faint shimmer hung near the old workshop. Another memory fragment. Someone's half-remembered argument drifted through the air like smoke before fading.
A woman's voice said, "Pass the rivet hammer," and then nothing. The locals had stopped jumping at these by now. They just stepped around them.
Selene stood by the community hall, talking to a group of farmers. She was tall, with short gray hair and eyes that never quite focused on the present.
"Your fence has excellent structural integrity," she said. Behind her, a translucent tower rose from the dirt, cracked and leaning. It crumbled in slow motion, bricks vanishing one by one. The farmers glanced at it, then back at her.
