Forty-eight hours after Stage 5's activation, all seven of Vael's Crossing's zones were running within normal parameters for the first time in fourteen months.
Not managed-level stability—the Vael's Crossing entity's conducted oscillation was still developing its precision, the interval variations wider than the Kael's Seat entity's refined pattern. But the above-ceiling crisis was over. Zone 1 through 4 were showing no above-ceiling events. Zone 5's suppression field had dropped to ambient-background levels—present but not operational. Zone 7's entity-ambient had withdrawn completely, leaving a standard S-zone ambient that the classification equipment could read and categorise normally.
The Rift's glow had changed. Not as dramatically as Kael's Seat's had changed after Stage 1 activated from below—this entity was newer to management and the oscillation was still refining. But the irregular pulse was gone. The Rift was conducting. Imprecisely, developing, but conducting.
