The surge did not slow.
It deepened.
What rose from Earth's substrata was no longer a distant echo or a buried memory shaking loose from ancient stone. It was active resonance, layered and immense, pushing upward like a tide that had waited centuries for the moon to return.
Inside the resonance chamber, every display shifted into overload thresholds. Light spilled across the projection wall in wide arcs as the intermediary cluster struggled to distribute the pressure through its expanding network.
Elira's hands moved quickly over her console.
"We're past safe scaling limits," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "The substrata output keeps increasing. It's not peaking. It's climbing."
Kael stared at the lattice projection where the hybrid scar glowed brighter than it ever had.
"It's not trying to burn us," he said quietly.
"No," Sarya replied through clenched teeth.
She could feel the ancient current flooding through her, but it did not feel hostile. It felt awake.
