Chapter 73: Chapter 73: System's Ascension

As the sun began to rise, painting the sky in shades of gold, Zara noticed a change. The fall of the Locus seemed to be diminishing. It was subtle at first, but as the minutes ticked by, it became more evident. The constant flow of bodies into the abyss was slowing, the edges of the depression becoming less defined.

"He's coming up," she whispered, more to herself than to anyone else. "He has to be coming up." Hope, irrational and desperate, seized her.

Without thinking, Zara climbed onto the parapet, her eyes fixed on the darkness stretching beneath her feet. The wind whipped around her, tugging at her hair, but she barely noticed. Her entire being was focused on the abyss below, searching for any sign of movement, any hint of life.

"Zara, no!" someone shouted behind her, perhaps Micah or Kriz. But their voice sounded distant, irrelevant. All that mattered was the void below and the possibility that Elio was down there, fighting his way back to them.