Nyra sat with her back against a stone pillar, her eyes fixed on Jude. She looked as though she hadn't slept, but then again, neither had he. "You're awake," she said softly, her voice hoarse. Jude nodded, pushing himself to a sitting position. "Barely." Elren emerged from the edge of the cavern, carrying a small flask of water and a crushed pack of rations. He handed them over without a word, then sat heavily beside them. No one spoke for a long time. What could be said after they had faced a gate that fed on the very fabric of reality and memory?
Eventually, Nyra broke the silence. "There's something strange outside. You need to see it." Jude stood, albeit slowly, and followed her through the winding path out of the crater. The climb took longer than before, and each step felt heavier, not because of fatigue, but because the ground itself no longer sang with the same intensity. The magic, the memory, it had dissipated. At the ridge, Jude stopped and stared.
The sky was wrong.
