The glow didn't fade completely. It lingered like a pulse under the dirt, slow and heavy, matching the beat of the coalition's fear.
Zza stood at the edge of the crater, silk trembling from her claws. Her throat ached from saying his name, but she couldn't stop. "Buzz. Please. I know you can hear me."
The Elder floated above her, threads weaving in caution. "You should step back."
"No."
The Elder's voice deepened. "Whatever's beneath that soil isn't the Buzz you remember."
Zza turned her head slightly, her eyes sharp through the smoke. "Then I'll see for myself."
The ground shuddered. Cracks opened across the crater floor, light bleeding through like veins in glass. The coalition tensed. Scarabs lifted their claws. Glowbeetles dimmed their lights. Even the Centipedes drew back, their coils shifting nervously.
Zza didn't move.
The soil broke.
