Then Ervin explained it.
★★★
Ren sat on the steps outside afterward, wiping fog residue from his gloves. Nyxa stood nearby, silent.
"You okay?" Elara asked, handing him a flask.
Ren took it. "Yeah, little bit. I thought planning would make this cleaner."
Elara snorted softly. "Sometimes plans are heavy to understand. Leave it on higher authorities."
"Yeah."
Far off, horns sounded again for rotational shifts.
The night settled in cold and clear above the fog. Stars visible. Too calm.
Across Qiyun, screens glowed late into the night.
WORLD CONCORD CONFIRMS: EVENT CLASSIFIED AS EXTINCTION-LEVEL RISK
SHELTERS ADVISED — NO MASS EVACUATION ORDER
LEADERS: 'THIS IS THE BEGINNING, NOT THE END'
On the ground, soldiers reset lines. Healers worked quietly. Scouts pushed forward again.
The grand calamity didn't announce itself with fire or collapse.
It arrived the way pressure does.
Slow.
Relentless.
Already everywhere plans were weakest.
