Dr. Veylan adjusted the lens of his gravity scope, peering across the ruins of the Absent City. Structures stood intact but hollow, as if their inhabitants had simply dissolved. He logged his observations: no signs of violence, no decay. Only untouched belongings, as if life had been paused mid-motion.
His radio crackled. “Veylan, any hypotheses?”
“None I like,” he murmured.
He approached an abandoned café, brushing dust from a half-filled glass. Then, the shift happened. His fingertips tingled, his breath caught. The city flickered.
He saw them—translucent figures, frozen in place, caught in the moment of their disappearance. He reached for one.
A surge of memory filled him: strangers sharing laughter, hands clasping, warmth. A feeling of belonging so potent he gasped.
Then it was gone. The city, silent once more. He stumbled back, understanding now. They hadn’t disappeared. They had become something else entirely. Something… connected.
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