The silence of the void was a familiar comfort to Elias, but it held a new, heavy weight. He had faced countless cosmic threats, but never had he been so thoroughly, so completely outmatched. The Guardian's movements were not a series of logical attacks, but a flawless, elegant symphony of intent. Elias, a maestro of physics and mathematics, had no sheet music to read. He had returned to the planet humbled, a concept he hadn't truly experienced since his earliest days as a researcher.
He found Kaelen in the town, surrounded by grateful townsfolk whose homes and bodies she had so effortlessly repaired. She looked radiant, her energy no longer a dormant hum but a vibrant, flowing river. Her eyes met his from across the crowd, and in that instant, she knew. She saw the defeat in his posture, the frustration in the subtle lines around his mouth.
