The First Manuscript slowly turned another page. There were no words upon it. Only silence — a silence so profound that even Aether's own breathing seemed to disappear entirely, swallowed by whatever vast quiet now surrounded him. The endless library that had stretched around him moments before faded gradually into darkness. The shelves vanished first, dissolving into shadow. Then the stars overhead dimmed, one by one, until nothing remained but formless black.
One heartbeat later, the world changed entirely.
