The invitation did not arrive as a voice.
It arrived as a pattern.
Sarya felt it in the early hours of the morning, when the facility lights dimmed and even the hum of equipment softened into background noise. She had not fully slept in days, yet her body drifted in that thin place between waking and dreaming.
The warmth in her chest expanded slightly.
Not sudden.
Not forceful.
Gentle.
Like someone brushing their fingertips across still water.
She sat up immediately.
The braid activated without conscious effort. Mara's strand stirred. Daniel's followed a second later.
"You felt it," Mara's voice came through the secure channel.
"Yes," Sarya replied quietly.
Daniel sounded more alert than he had in days. "It's stronger."
Sarya stood and walked toward the window overlooking the inner courtyard. The sky remained ordinary. No shimmer. No distortion.
"It isn't coming from above," she said.
Elira's voice joined the channel. "Readings confirm zero atmospheric fluctuation."
