The void grew quiet.
Not empty.
Quiet.
After the first clash, the constellation's defensive harmonics gradually slowed from combat rotation into steady, sustainable oscillations. The newborn node dimmed to a stable glow, no longer screaming, no longer trembling.
For now.
[Node Stability: 83%]
[External Threat: Observing]
The Predator did not advance again.
It watched.
And in that fragile pause, something else surfaced.
Relief.
Ethan exhaled slowly, letting Convergence soften from battlefield intensity into shared synchronization. Threads of harmonic energy extended outward, checking each domain—Stratified lattice intact, newborn cocoon secure, Frost Dominion steady.
Kaelith stood close on his right.
Lysarra remained near his left.
Neither moved away.
Their auras no longer flared in aggression—but neither had withdrawn.
The space between the three of them tightened into something quieter.
More intimate.
Kaelith was the first to reestablish the deeper link.
