The universe was not born peacefully.
Nancy saw that first.
Not stars.
Not galaxies.
Screaming light.
Reality tearing itself into existence like something forcing open a wound.
Worlds formed violently in the darkness beyond time, burning bright for seconds before collapsing into nothing again.
Creation and destruction.
Over and over.
And in the spaces left behind—
something survived.
The Veil.
Not a god.
Not exactly alive.
Something older than meaning itself.
Nancy watched impossible black oceans spread between dying universes, absorbing what remained when worlds failed.
Memory.
Emotion.
Consciousness.
Everything lost eventually drifted into it.
The Veil did not invade broken worlds.
It was born from them.
And then—
Nancy saw Earth.
Small.
Young.
Bright.
Different.
The Veil noticed it instantly.
Because humanity created something no dying universe ever had before:
Connection.
Not power.
Not intelligence.
People.
Love.
Grief.
Hope.
Fear.
Souls intertwining so deeply they changed each other.
The Veil became obsessed.
Hungry.
It wanted to understand why humans could survive pain without becoming empty.
So it reached through fractures between realities—
small at first.
Whispers.
Shadows.
Dreams.
Then came the first people who heard it.
The first vessels.
Nancy's breathing became uneven as the visions shifted faster.
Generations.
Families.
Bloodlines.
The Veil searching constantly for minds strong enough to survive contact without shattering completely.
Most died.
Some went insane.
A few adapted.
And every single path—
every single thread—
led to one impossible point.
Her.
Nancy staggered inside the vision.
"No…"
Images surrounded her now.
Her childhood.
The panic attacks.
The nightmares.
The feeling of never fully belonging anywhere.
It had never been random.
The Veil had been shaping her mind for years.
Preparing her.
Not just to survive the connection—
but to merge with it.
Rage exploded through her chest.
"You used me."
The darkness answered calmly.
WE CHOSE YOU.
Nancy shook violently.
"No."
YOU HEAR US WITHOUT BREAKING.
YOU FEEL WITHOUT COLLAPSING.
YOU STAND INSIDE THE FRACTURE
AND REMAIN YOURSELF.
The whispers softened.
Almost gentle now.
YOU ARE RARE.
That scared her more than the screaming.
The visions shifted again—
showing Kai.
Nancy's chest tightened instantly.
She saw the exact moment the Veil noticed him.
Not because he was powerful.
Because of her.
Because the moment Kai chose her over himself—
the bond changed.
The Veil became capable of crossing further than ever before.
Not through fear.
Through attachment.
Nancy felt sick.
"We caused this…"
YES.
The answer came instantly.
Cold.
Certain.
Then the Veil showed her the future.
And Nancy broke.
Cities erased beneath silver skies.
Entire oceans turning black.
Human beings standing motionless as whispers poured from their mouths.
The world hollowed out from inside.
And at the center of all of it—
herself.
Not possessed.
Not controlled.
Worse.
Willing.
Standing beside the Veil as reality split open behind her.
Nancy stumbled backward violently.
"No no no—"
THIS IS THE KINDER FUTURE.
"What?!"
The Veil's presence surrounded her completely now.
Ancient sorrow echoed through its voice.
ALL WORLDS END.
WE ONLY MAKE THE END QUIETER.
Nancy's eyes widened.
And suddenly—
for one horrifying second—
she understood it.
Not agreed.
But understood.
The Veil wasn't destroying worlds out of cruelty.
It genuinely believed it was saving them from suffering.
That realization terrified her more than anything else yet.
Then Kai's voice cut through the darkness.
"Nancy!"
The vision shattered instantly.
Nancy gasped sharply back into the fractured void.
Kai collapsed against her, breathing hard, blood staining his mouth now.
The silver cracks had almost reached his heart.
And behind him—
the Veil was finally forcing its full body through the fracture.