"Not her."
Mother's whisper carried more fear than anyone had ever heard from her.
Not fear of war.
Not fear of endings.
Fear.
Pure fear.
And the moment she spoke—
Colors vanished.
Not completely.
Just enough.
Red became dull.
Blue faded.
Gold dimmed.
The stars themselves seemed uncertain about what they were supposed to be.
The Creator looked around.
"What is happening?"
No one answered.
Because everyone felt it.
Not destruction.
Absence.
Something was missing.
Something that had always been missing.
And somehow—
They had only just noticed.
---
Far beyond the broken doorway, somewhere beyond cycles and forgotten timelines—
The laughter came again.
A woman's laughter.
Soft.
Playful.
Warm.
And somehow—
Wrong.
"Found you."
The youngest froze.
The shadow beneath Father trembled.
And for the first time since remembering Mother—
He looked utterly terrified.
"No."
Mother immediately appeared beside him.
"My baby."
He shook violently.
"No."
