The stars had never felt so close.
Ethan stood atop the highest spire of the restored Frostfire Citadel, the wind tearing at his coat while seven domains pulsed in slow, synchronized rhythm inside his chest.
Below him, the world breathed steadily.
Storm currents regulated.
Tectonic pressure equalized.
Oceanic resonance stable.
Heat flow balanced.
Shadow boundaries insulated.
Frostfire core synchronized.
The Convergence Node binding it all.
Equilibrium held.
But beyond the atmosphere—
Something moved.
The pulse had not faded.
It had intensified.
Not chaotic.
Not hostile.
Measured.
Curious.
The System flickered across Ethan's vision.
[External Signature Approaching — Vector Confirmed]
[Origin: Interstellar]
[Energy Class: Unknown]
Kaelith landed beside him in a silent burst of compressed shadowflame.
"It changed trajectory."
"Yes."
"It's coming directly here."
Ethan's expression didn't shift.
"Then we greet it."
Upper Atmosphere
