Parchment filled with notes lay flat before Celestia,
Scattered across the worn wooden surface.
She sat at the nearby table,
Legs crossed, body angled slightly—
Shielding herself from distractions.
Not far from her—
The trio remained by the couch.
Silent. Unmoving.
Her pen hovered over the pages—
The weight of unanswered questions pressing into her thoughts.
Rows of notes lined the surface.
Patterns.
Observations.
Fragmented answers waiting to be linked.
She bit down on the end of her pen,
Arms folded,
Eyes closing as images flickered behind her lids.
The school café.
The group surrounding the table.
The news announcement on the screen.
The comet.
Live footage flared through her memory—
A celestial body streaking across the distant sky.
A moment she had dismissed.
A spectacle she had believed was insignificant.
But now—
Staring at her notes,
Tracing every anomaly,
Every shift in their abilities—
She knew that moment had never been meaningless.
The comet had altered something.
Changed them.
Her breath slowed.
Then—
A quiet inhale.
The memory sharpened.
Celestial embers rained from the sky—
Blue dust cascading in waves,
Dissolving into the night.
And in that instant—
The realization struck.
Celestia shot up from her seat—
The force of her movement jolting the table backward—
Papers scattering across the wooden surface.
Her back faced the trio—
Their stunned, confused gazes burned into her shoulders.
Her breath hitched—
Chest tightening as the revelation crashed into her mind.
"The comet!"
Her voice cut through the silence like a blade.
Absynthe blinked,
Then narrowed her eyes.
"What does the comet have to do with this?"
Her voice held doubt—
But also a sliver of curiosity—
A need to understand.
She gestured toward Obsidion's altered form—
Still motionless,
Still shifting in ways that defied logic.
"How does this connect?"
Celestia spun—
Energy sharp,
Pulse hammering against her ribs.
"It has everything to do with this! And that!"
Her hand swept across the notes before her—
Mind racing as she prepared to unravel her calculations—
To make them see what she had just realized.
Celestia straightened,
Gaze sharp as she faced them directly.
"Tell me—when was the first time you noticed these oddities?
The changes in skin, form…?"
Synthena hummed,
Tapping her index finger against her lip.
"Now that I think about it…"
Her glowing patterns pulsed—
A subtle yet mesmerizing cycle.
A faint blue flicker pulsed across her right hand—
A signal of her blue dust power,
Swirling gently as she recalculated her recent experiences.
Absynthe lifted her head,
Eyes narrowing slightly.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Celestia inhaled,
Grounding herself.
"Think about it—comet? Dust?"
Both Synthena and Absynthe exchanged skeptical glances—
Brows furrowing,
Still not fully processing the connection.
Celestia sighed,
Pressing a hand to her face.
"How did the dinosaurs not survive the comet…
But somehow, we're still in one piece?"
Her brow lifted,
Hoping—praying—they'd finally understand.
Synthena gasped.
"Omg, you're so right!
How are we even still alive?!"
Then—
She leaned in,
Lowering her voice in mock secrecy,
Hand pressed to her side
Like she was about to spill the greatest revelation in existence.
"Are we… like, immortal or something?"
Her chuckle carried playful absurdity—
Half-joking, half-seriously considering the possibility.
Absynthe let out a small scoff,
Then reached over,
Landing a light slap against the back of Synthena's head.
"Ouch!"
Synthena yelped,
Rubbing the spot dramatically.
Absynthe smirked.
"You're an idiot, you know that?"
Synthena pouted in exaggerated defeat.
"Noted."
But Absynthe's focus remained on Celestia—
Voice edged with skepticism.
"So what you're saying is…
This comet—this celestial body—
Actually caused our drastic transformations?"
She straightened,
Crossing one arm over her chest—
The other resting behind her head.
Fingers curled slightly,
Gesturing as she continued.
"But if that's true—
Which I'm not denying—
Where are the rest of the humans of Geneara?"
"Why aren't crowds of them walking around, wielding abilities like ours?"
Celestia froze.
Stunned.
Absynthe's words hung in the air—
Pressing into her like a heavy weight.
She wasn't wrong.
Celestia exhaled sharply—
Resting her cheek against her palm,
Tilting her head downward.
She closed her eyes—
Willing herself to focus.
Absynthe waited, watching—
Her stance unwavering.
And somewhere in the deep silence—
The realization wasn't done forming yet
*******************************************************************
The tall, black figure stood miles from the fortress—
Bathed in an eerie glow.
Peaceful.
Yet utterly unnatural.
Despite its surroundings,
Its form remained nothing but shifting black mist—
A presence that felt less like a being,
And more like an absence.
A void in the landscape.
Yet its existence
Was anything but comforting.
It faced the distant mountains—
The silhouette of a high-security structure
Looming in the haze.
A fortress.
A prison.
A place of untold significance.
Massive. Guarded.
A structure that held secrets.
Then—
Slowly.
Deliberately.
The shadowed being turned away.
Its form shifted like smoke—
Dissolving into the air as it moved.
A creeping specter.
Gliding without motion—
As though it existed outside the laws of time.
Beyond the natural rhythm of the world.