The stillness held.
For a moment that stretched beyond time, the universe forgot how to move. Ao Di remained frozen mid gesture, his clawed hand raised, his maw open in what would have been a thunderous roar. Humans stood like statues, tears suspended on cheeks, breaths caught in throats.
Then reality exhaled.
The dragon race members moved first. Their bodies simply folded, knees striking the ground with simultaneous thuds. Every dragon collapsed as though an invisible hand had pressed them down. Their faces pressed against earth. Wings folded tight against backs. Tails lay still.
None understood why. Their minds scrambled for explanation even as bodies refused to rise. It was instinct of a magnitude they had never experienced. Recognition of something absolute, something that preceded their existence and would continue long after they turned to dust.
