Chapter 284 - Chapter 282: The Eternal Present (Part 1)

Three years had passed since the convergence that had reunited the three fragments of consciousness and revealed the existence of the Tenth Star. Three years is an infinitesimal duration when measured against the ages that the First Witness had existed, yet it represented sufficient time for the implications of the convergence to begin penetrating into the deepest structures of how civilization organized itself. The Celestial Academy, which had served as the focal point for the initial integration of understanding, had settled into a rhythm that bore little resemblance to the institution that had existed before but maintained all the surface characteristics that made it appear unchanged to casual observation.