The morning after discovering the whispers in the sky, Selena and Dante were preparing to move, to continue their work of sparking life in the wastelands while carrying the crushing knowledge of cosmic scarring, when the world shuddered.
Not metaphorically. Reality itself convulsed, a physical tremor that ran through earth and air and the space between atoms. The young tree near their camp swayed violently despite the absence of wind. The flowers growing from ash collapsed momentarily before struggling back upright. And through the eternal flame, Selena felt something vast and terrible beginning to manifest.
"Look," Dante said, his voice tight with controlled alarm.
Selena looked up at the sky and felt her breath catch. The whispers they had heard in the darkness were no longer subtle, no longer faint impressions on cosmic architecture. They were becoming physical. Visible. Undeniable.
A scar was opening across the heavens.
