Somewhere past the layers of creation, beyond the edge of the Celestial Realm, a light blinked once and faded.
A voice spoke. "He's awakened."
Another answered. "Too soon. The Balance hasn't shifted yet."
"Does it matter? The potential is there. He carries both ends of the spectrum."
Silence stretched. Then, a low hum rolled through the space like thunder beneath the skin of reality. The Elder Gods were gathering.
They didn't sit or stand. They simply were—old beings, older than time itself, existing in forms mortals couldn't name. Some appeared as stars wearing human shapes, others as shadows given thought.
The one called Kael broke the quiet. "You've seen it yourselves. The child holds the essence of Creation and Destruction in equal measure."
A ripple of energy passed between them. "A paradox."
"An inevitability."
