The city changed before they reached it.
The closer Juvy got—
The quieter everything became.
No voices.
No movement from normal civilians.
Only footsteps.
Thousands of them.
All heading forward.
— Arrival —
Juvy and Lina stopped at the edge of Ground Zero.
The place where the tear once split the sky.
Now—
It was worse.
The air warped constantly.
Like reality couldn't decide what it wanted to be.
Fragments floated in the sky.
Hundreds.
Maybe more.
Glowing.
Flickering.
Drifting toward one point.
Juvy's eyes widened.
"…This is…"
Lina whispered:
"…It's here."
— The Crowd —
Below them—
A massive gathering.
Fragment users stood still.
Looking forward.
Silent.
Waiting.
No chaos.
No fighting.
Just… obedience.
— Maxruell Arrives —
From the opposite side—
Maxruell stepped into view.
Walking through the crowd.
Unaffected.
His eyes lifted—
Locking onto the same point.
"…So that's it."
Behind him—
Kael followed.
Calm.
Observing.
"…It's more stable than I expected," Kael said.
Maxruell smirked slightly.
"…Then let's break it before it gets worse."
Kael didn't respond.
— The Center —
At the heart of Ground Zero—
It stood.
The Vessel.
Now fully formed.
Its body—
Almost human.
But not quite.
Skin shifting faintly.
Light and shadow moving beneath it.
Its presence—
Heavy.
Overwhelming.
Juvy felt it immediately.
Her chest tightened.
"…That's what's calling them…"
Lina's voice trembled slightly.
"…It's… everything…"
— The Awakening —
The Vessel moved.
Slowly raising its head.
Its eyes opened.
They weren't glowing.
They weren't dark.
They were both.
And neither.
It looked at the crowd.
Then—
At Juvy.
Then—
At Maxruell.
Silence fell deeper.
"…you came…"
Its voice wasn't loud.
But it echoed everywhere.
Inside minds.
Inside the air itself.
Juvy stepped forward.
"…What are you?"
The Vessel tilted its head.
"…incomplete…"
A pause.
"…like you…"
Maxruell stepped forward too.
"…I don't remember asking for a reflection."
The Vessel's gaze sharpened.
"…you are not reflection…"
A step forward.
Reality bent slightly.
"…you are missing pieces…"
— Tension —
The crowd remained still.
But the air—
Tightened.
Juvy clenched her fists.
No light came.
Maxruell's shadows didn't rise.
But neither of them backed down.
The Vessel extended its hand.
Toward them.
"…return…"
The fragments in the sky reacted.
They began moving faster.
Toward it.
Toward Juvy.
Toward Maxruell.
Lina gasped.
"…It's pulling everything!"
The ground trembled.
The air cracked.
And this time—
There was no delay.
No buildup.
Everything was about to collide.