Sarya's scream tore through the storm as the collapse-born entity reached into the hidden architecture beneath the Nexus prison.
The reaction was instant.
The Gate went dark.
Not dim.
Dark.
For the first time since humanity discovered it, the massive structure above Earth lost its glow completely. Every rotating harmonic ring froze in place while resonance systems across the planet collapsed into sudden silence.
The world itself seemed to stop breathing.
Inside the chamber, every alarm died mid-sound.
Then a new signal emerged.
Slow.
Heavy.
Ancient.
A pulse spread outward through the lattice with enough weight to make even the observing mass recoil slightly.
Kael felt it without needing resonance sensitivity.
The pressure alone made his chest tighten.
"What the hell was that?"
No one answered.
Because above Earth, the Gate had started changing.
