The first thing that broke—
Was time.
Not completely.
Not in a way that shattered reality into chaos.
But in something far worse.
Time… hesitated.
A heartbeat stretched too long.
A moment repeated itself—just once.
Then everything resumed as if nothing had happened.
But Nyxara felt it.
So did Cassian.
"…did you feel that?" he asked, voice tight.
"Yes."
Her tone was calm—
But her awareness sharpened instantly.
Because that wasn't instability.
That wasn't the world breaking apart.
That was something else entirely.
"…it corrected itself," she said slowly.
Cassian went still.
"…no."
A pause.
"…it adjusted."
That was worse.
Because correction meant restoring what was.
But adjustment—
Adjustment meant change.
Above them—
The sky no longer held a single form.
It shifted.
Subtly.
Continuously.
Dark clouds would gather—
Then thin out—
Then reform into something slightly different.
Not random.
Never random.
But evolving.
Testing.
Refining.
