Scene 1 – The Gaze of the Storm
The heart throbbed in Jemil's palm like it wanted out — like it wanted to beat for something greater than itself. Each pulse crawled up his arm, searing a rhythm into his chest until his own heartbeat stumbled to match its cadence.
Alvara's sword gleamed inches away from it, her stance steady, but her eyes betrayed her. They were too wide, too sharp, too fixed on the storm tearing itself open above them.
The sky wasn't dark anymore. It was hollowed.
Clouds spun outward in vast rings, as though reality itself had been scooped from the center. From that void, an aperture blinked open. It was not flesh, nor spirit, nor even energy Jemil could name. It was awareness given form — a pupil the size of a kingdom, dilated and focused directly on him.
