The night above the Celestial Academy had never seemed so clear in ways that transcended ordinary atmospheric clarity. Thousands of stars shimmered across the heavens with the specific luminescence that came from being observed by something that recognized their significance. They reflected upon the countless floating islands that drifted silently through the clouds like wayward ships navigating an endless ocean.
Most disciples slept peacefully after another exhausting day of cultivation work. They never noticed the stars. They never noticed that one constellation had shifted ever so slightly from its established position. They never perceived that deep beneath the academy, the silver mist leaking from the Nameless Door had become just a little denser, just a little more present, as though something was gathering itself together.
