The storm above Nyos has passed, but its echo lives on inside me. As dawn breaks, I sit on a sand dune turning molten gold. My heart is heavy, yet in the quiet morning light I feel resolve crystallizing.
I send a message to Amina: "It's real, it's waking." Her reply is immediate; she understands, even as I struggle to find the words. In hers, I sense the same mixture of fear and determination that flames within me. We agree to meet at the old observatory outside Agadez.
I pack little more than water and star charts. Around my neck hangs the Adinkra amulet; a shield of ancestral hope. When I glance east toward the rising sun, I whisper a vow to my grandfather's spirit. I will bear the light against the gathering dark. I will be the balance that stands at the dawn of crisis.
The journey across the desert is still. Jabari's parting words guide me: "Aid may come from places we have yet to imagine." I find myself watching the sky -- the birds of morning flight, the quiet persistence of dunes -- searching for signs.
In the oasis of course, I find Amina waiting, eyes bright with questions and science's quiet wonder. At her side stands Jabari, who heard the call of Nguzo, the guiding star of need. Together, in the hush of dawn, we plan. Our alliance takes root in that shared recognition: the equilibrium we cherish is fragile, and we are its protectors.
We speak in low tones of gravity wells and star maps, of phenomena we barely comprehend. Yet in that desert light I feel the first true weightlessness of sharing this mission. It feels, for the first time in years, as though I might belong to something greater.
Above us, day fully awakens. The horizon blushes with light. There will be storms, and shadows. But at this dawn, I claim my name -- Eventide -- in full: I am both night and day, the keeper of balance. The universe has shown its teeth, but together we will meet them.
As the sun rises higher, I stand upright, shoulders squared against the blaze. The path ahead is uncertain, but I will walk it. Our tribe of guardians gathers now. In this new day, I am not alone.