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THUMP.
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The heartbeat echoed again.
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Not through the sky.
Not through the world.
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Through existence itself.
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Every living being felt it.
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The citizens of the capital clutched their chests.
The Void creatures lowered their heads.
The stars continued disappearing.
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And for the first time—
Even the Devourer remained silent.
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Rosy hated that.
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Because if something could make the Devourer shut up—
Then the situation was probably terrible.
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Very terrible.
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The silver cosmic being stared into the heavens.
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"The First Darkness..."
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The words felt ancient.
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Heavy.
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Wrong.
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Rosy's heartbeat accelerated.
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Because her soul reacted immediately.
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Not with fear.
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Recognition.
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A strange feeling spread through her chest.
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Like hearing a forgotten song.
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Like remembering a face she hadn't seen in countless years.
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The sensation frightened her more than anything.
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"...Why do I know that name?"
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Nobody answered immediately.
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The silence was enough.
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Because everyone important already knew.
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And none of them wanted to say it.
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Rosy's gaze moved toward the silver being.
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Then toward Sol.
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Then toward the Devourer.
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All three looked uncomfortable.
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That was suspicious.
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Extremely suspicious.
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"...Tell me."
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The silver being closed its eyes.
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For several moments.
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Then sighed.
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A sound so old it seemed capable of carrying centuries.
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"You existed before Isle."
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Rosy blinked.
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"...What?"
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"Before humanity."
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Her stomach dropped.
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"Before the Void."
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The capital became silent.
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Even Kael stopped talking.
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Even Azrael's expression sharpened.
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Because those words changed everything.
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Rosy laughed weakly.
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"...That's impossible."
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Nobody laughed with her.
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Her smile slowly disappeared.
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"...You're serious."
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The silver being nodded.
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Slowly.
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Reluctantly.
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And suddenly—
The world around them dissolved.
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A memory.
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Not a normal memory.
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An ancient memory.
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Older than reality itself.
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The capital vanished.
The kingdom vanished.
The stars vanished.
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Everything disappeared.
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Until only darkness remained.
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Endless darkness.
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Rosy stood frozen.
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"...Where are we?"
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The silver being's voice echoed softly.
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"At the beginning."
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There were no stars.
No planets.
No life.
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Nothing.
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Only darkness.
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Yet it wasn't frightening.
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It felt peaceful.
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Quiet.
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Comfortable.
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Like a blanket wrapped around existence.
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Then—
Rosy saw someone.
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A girl.
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Standing alone in the darkness.
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Long black hair.
Purple eyes.
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Rosy's breath stopped.
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Because she was looking at herself.
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Or rather—
The original self.
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Before Isle.
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Before Rosy.
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Before everything.
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The girl looked younger.
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Lonelier.
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Yet strangely beautiful.
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She sat inside the darkness peacefully.
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As if she belonged there.
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The memory continued.
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Time passed.
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Though time didn't truly exist yet.
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The girl remained alone.
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Watching nothing.
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Waiting for nothing.
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Existing.
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Then one day—
She became bored.
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Rosy immediately covered her face.
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"...Of course."
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Kael sighed.
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"That sounds exactly like you."
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The silver being nodded.
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"IT REALLY DOES."
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Rosy felt personally attacked.
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Meanwhile—
The girl in the memory stretched lazily.
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Then whispered:
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"I'm lonely."
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The darkness listened.
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And responded.
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Not with words.
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With light.
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A tiny spark appeared.
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The first spark.
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The first light.
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The first creation.
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The girl stared at it curiously.
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Then smiled.
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A genuine smile.
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And suddenly—
More sparks appeared.
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Thousands.
Millions.
Billions.
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Stars.
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The first stars.
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Rosy's eyes widened.
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"...Wait."
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The silver being nodded.
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"Yes."
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The realization struck everyone simultaneously.
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The stars weren't created by Sol.
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Not originally.
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They were created by her.
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By the girl in the darkness.
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The memory continued.
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The stars multiplied.
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Galaxies formed.
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Worlds emerged.
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Life slowly awakened.
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And the girl watched everything.
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Fascinated.
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Happy.
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Not because she ruled it.
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Not because she controlled it.
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Because she enjoyed watching it grow.
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Then—
Something unexpected happened.
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The stars spoke.
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Not with voices.
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With existence.
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They called her a name.
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A name Rosy had never heard before.
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Nyx.
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The moment the name echoed—
Rosy's entire soul shook.
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The forgotten name felt familiar.
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Painfully familiar.
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Because it belonged to her.
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Before Isle.
Before Rosy.
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Before everything.
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Nyx.
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The First Darkness.
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The original existence.
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The being who existed before creation itself.
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The memory continued.
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Nyx smiled.
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Then she did something unexpected.
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She split her power.
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Into two pieces.
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The first became warmth.
Hope.
Creation.
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Sol.
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The second became endings.
Change.
Destruction.
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The Devourer.
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Silence consumed the memory.
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Rosy's mind stopped working.
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Because the implication was horrifying.
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Slowly—
Very slowly—
She turned toward Sol.
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Then toward the Devourer.
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The two ancient beings avoided eye contact.
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Like children caught doing something wrong.
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Rosy's eye twitched.
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"...No."
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Nobody answered.
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"...Absolutely not."
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Still nobody answered.
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Her voice rose slightly.
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"You're telling me—"
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She pointed toward Sol.
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"My son."
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Then toward the Devourer.
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"AND THAT THING—"
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The Devourer looked offended.
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"RUDE."
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"AND THAT THING—"
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She repeated louder.
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"ARE TECHNICALLY MY CHILDREN?"
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Silence.
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The universe itself seemed nervous.
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Because nobody wanted to answer.
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The answer came anyway.
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"...Yes."
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Rosy stared.
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Blankly.
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Then sat down.
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Directly on the ground.
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Because her brain had officially resigned.
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Kael immediately sat beside her.
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"...Need a minute?"
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"...Several."
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Azrael rubbed his forehead.
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"...That explains way too many things."
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"It explains nothing."
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"It explains the family resemblance."
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Rosy slowly turned.
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"...Family resemblance?"
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Azrael pointed.
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"You."
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Then Sol.
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Then the Devourer.
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"...You all have the same stubborn expression."
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The Devourer looked offended again.
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"I DO NOT."
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"You do."
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"I DON'T."
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"You literally do."
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The Devourer sulked.
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Which was somehow more disturbing than cosmic destruction.
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Meanwhile—
Rosy's attention returned to the memory.
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Because it wasn't finished.
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Not even close.
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Nyx looked happy.
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For a while.
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She watched creation grow.
Watched worlds flourish.
Watched life emerge.
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Then she noticed something.
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A problem.
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Creation and destruction were no longer balanced.
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The Devourer was growing stronger.
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Feeding.
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Changing.
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Evolving.
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And eventually—
It began consuming more than it should.
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Worlds.
Stars.
Possibilities.
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Everything.
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Nyx tried stopping it.
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But she couldn't.
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Because she'd made a mistake.
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She loved both children equally.
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And that hesitation changed everything.
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The memory suddenly fractured.
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Cracks spread through the darkness.
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The heartbeat returned.
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THUMP.
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The stars vanished.
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THUMP.
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Reality shook.
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THUMP.
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The memory shattered.
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Everyone returned to the present.
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The capital appeared again.
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The sky continued losing stars.
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And this time—
Rosy noticed something horrifying.
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The darkness between the stars wasn't empty anymore.
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Something was moving.
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Something enormous.
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Something so vast that entire galaxies seemed small beside it.
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The silver being's voice trembled.
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"She's waking up."
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Rosy's stomach dropped.
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Because she knew exactly who it meant.
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Not Nyx.
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Not her.
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Something older.
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Something that existed before even the First Darkness.
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And deep inside her soul—
A sealed voice finally spoke.
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Softly.
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Sadly.
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"Run, little one."
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Rosy's eyes widened.
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Because she recognized that voice.
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And it wasn't hers.
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End of Chapter 39