White did not last.
It never did.
It cracked.
Not like glass.
Like something breathing wrong.
The light thinned, tore, and folded inward, revealing a sky that was not a sky and a ground that did not trust its own shape.
Rue Yim staggered forward.
"Kilu'an—"
Her voice broke across the empty expanse.
For a moment—
There was nothing.
Then—
He appeared.
A few steps ahead.
Standing.
Still.
Whole.
Her breath returned in a sharp gasp.
"You're here."
Relief hit first.
Instinctive.
Wrong.
Because something about him—
Felt delayed.
Like he had been placed there.
Not arrived.
Kilu'an turned.
Slow.
His eyes met hers.
And for a heartbeat—
Everything steadied.
"Don't move."
His voice came low.
Tight.
Controlled.
Her chest tightened.
"Why?"
He didn't answer.
Because something else had already entered.
Not from a direction.
Not from a place.
From everywhere at once.
The air thickened.
The light dimmed.
And then—
Saya.
She did not step into the world.
