The warning did not arrive as a sound.
It arrived as pressure.
Across the Convergence Axis, the vast entanglement lattice shuddered all at once—every sovereign node vibrating with the same sudden tension. It moved through the constellation like an invisible shockwave traveling through fragile glass.
A ripple.
A distortion.
A presence.
Ethan felt it slam into his awareness before the System could even finish calculating the disturbance.
His eyes snapped open.
"Contact."
The word carried through the triad resonance instantly, echoing across the shared lattice that linked their powers together.
But something about the pressure felt wrong.
Not distant.
Not approaching.
Already here.
Very close.
The newborn node hovering behind them pulsed violently, its small sovereign consciousness reacting before it fully understood the threat. The fragile spark brightened and dimmed in uneven flashes, its energy trembling through the constellation network.
Fear.
