Aurelion did not look like a battlefield.
That was the first thing Aamir noticed.
From the viewport of Infinity Zero, the planet below glowed softly, wrapped in layers of warm gold and amber light. Vast plains rolled endlessly beneath scattered clouds, their edges traced by long rivers that shimmered like molten sunlight. Cities rose from the land not as scars, but as extensions of it—towering stone structures shaped into terraces, domes, and spires that reflected the sun like polished metal.
There were no ruins.
No burn marks.
No signs of war.
It was peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Kunal stood beside him, arms crossed, eyes sharp and unmoving as he studied the surface.
"No void scars," he said. "No planetary wounds. No Eclipse residue."
Aamir nodded slowly. "Which means one of two things."
Kunal exhaled. "…It's untouched."
"Or," Aamir continued, "it hides its scars very well."
That answer sat heavy between them.
