Sarya dreamed of rain.
Not the endless cosmic currents she had crossed.
Not the resonance oceans that connected worlds.
Not the impossible rivers flowing through the Nexus.
Just rain.
Simple rain falling against a window.
For a long time, she stood there listening to it.
The sound felt familiar.
Comforting.
Like a memory from a life that belonged to someone else.
She watched droplets slide down glass while distant thunder rolled across a gray sky.
Everything felt peaceful.
Which was exactly why she knew something was wrong.
The universe had not been peaceful for a very long time.
Sarya slowly turned away from the window.
The room behind her appeared ordinary.
A wooden table.
A bookshelf.
A chair.
Warm yellow light.
The kind of place someone might build if they wanted to feel safe.
Yet she had never seen it before.
And somehow—
It felt familiar.
Not because she remembered it.
Because somebody else did.
A floorboard creaked.
Sarya turned.
Nobody stood there.
