THEO

The leadership council assembled in what remained of the command center. I sat beside Thelma, our twin bond humming with shared anxiety. Riley stood at the front of the room, Aaron supporting her. She looked exhausted, haunted by what she'd seen in the void.

"Tell us," Thelma said quietly. "What did you discover?"

Riley took a deep breath. "The void isn't evil. It's not even a conscious entity. It's a function. Reality's recycling process."

Dr. Singh leaned forward. "Explain."

"Every universe has weight," Riley continued. "Existence itself has mass, metaphysically speaking. When a reality becomes too heavy with events, with conflicts, with magic and dimensional tears and reality-bending power,...