The light faded slowly, like the last breath of a dying star.
Orion sat at the center of the fractured platform, her hands resting on her knees, golden sigils dimming as they receded into her skin. The last of her radiance flickered out in a gentle pulse. Around her, the construct slowly began repairing itself, though the reconstruction felt… different. Slower. Hesitant.
Cole knelt beside her, still tethered through the fading neural link. He could still feel the echo of her consciousness brushing against his—less intense now, more like a memory than a connection. His mind buzzed with fragments of her life, pieces he would never fully unsee. Her solitude. Her strength. Her burden.
They had survived.
The Observer was gone.
But something wasn't right.
Layla crouched beside Cole, brushing away a thin layer of dust from his cheek. "Are you okay? You look like you just walked out of a time storm."
He gave a tired, crooked smile. "Feels like I became one."
