QUEENETH’S POVBefore the First Watcher BlinkedThe circle doesn’t tighten again.It just… holds.Not trapping.Observing.I can feel it now in a way I couldn’t before. Not just the Remnants standing at the edges, not just the symbols under my feet. Something else sits behind it all, quiet and steady, like a breath that never leaves.Amy shifts inside me.Not restless.Listening.“They’re not the center,” she murmurs.I know.I can feel it.The one who spoke earlier steps forward again. Slow. Careful. Like he understands something fragile has shifted and doesn’t want to break it too fast.“You’re different,” he says.Not admiration.Recognition.“I’ve heard that before,” I reply.My voice sounds steady. It doesn’t feel it.He nods slightly.“Yes. But not like this.”Silence stretches between us. Not empty. Waiting.“You built this,” I say, glancing at the symbols again, the faint hum still lingering under the ground.“No,” he answers.Simple.Certain.It lands harder than denial shoul
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