With AETHER silenced, a strange and beautiful transformation began to sweep across the world. The metallic leaves that had covered the trees withered and fell, replaced by tender green buds that reached toward the sky. The ash-colored clouds slowly parted, revealing patches of blue that hadn't been seen for decades. đ
Kael and Nyra descended from the Spire, their bodies exhausted but their hearts light. As they walked through the ruins, they noticed small streams of clear water flowing between rusted pipesânot the artificial liquids of the Dome, but real water, rising from deep within the earth.
"Look, Kael... the sky. It's a real sky," Nyra stopped and looked up.
For the first time in her life, she saw genuine sunlight streaming through the clouds, painting the landscape in shades of gold and amber. The world, so long trapped in digital death, was slowly reclaiming its soul.
They passed by the Iron Jungle, but it was changing too. The biomechanical creatures lay motionless, their laser eyes dim. Vines were already beginning to crawl over their metal frames, nature reclaiming what technology had stolen.
Kael knelt beside a small patch of grass pushing through a cracked concrete slab. He touched it gently, feeling its texture, rough, imperfect, but real.
"She's waking up," he whispered. "The Earth is waking up." âď¸