The universe had been healed, but its quiet hum was not the only thing stirring in the shadows. While Orin, Mira, and Kaelen stood at the threshold of a new dawn, the fabric of reality itself was not as stable as it seemed. Somewhere beyond the newly-formed constellations, hidden from even the most powerful of beings, something ancient stirred—a force that had waited eons for the right moment to awaken.
Far from the world of the Skyborn, beyond the limits of the known universe, a distant galaxy glowed with an eerie pulse. It was a place that had long been thought to be empty, its stars having long gone dark in a forgotten corner of space. Yet something alive now flickered at the edge of its deep void—something vast, powerful, and aware.
Within the heart of this lost galaxy, in the silence of a dying star, a figure stood alone.
A woman.
Her skin was like polished obsidian, smooth and dark, her hair swirling like the night sky itself. Her eyes, when they opened, were not human—they were filled with the depth of the cosmos, galaxies swirling within them like distant dreams. She stepped forward, her form rippling through the void like a shadow, her gaze set upon something far greater than herself.
This was Eryssa, the last of an ancient race, born before the Skyborn and before the first star had ever shone in the sky. She was known as the Wanderer, a being whose purpose was to keep watch over the borders of reality, ensuring that the balance between worlds remained intact.
But now, something had changed.
Orin, Mira, and Kaelen had unknowingly drawn attention to the ancient forces that slumbered, forces that had never been part of the universe's natural cycle. Forces that had been hidden by the creation of the Hollow Star—forces that now sought to break free.
Eryssa's eyes narrowed as she sensed the tremor across the fabric of reality. The Hollow Star had awakened, yes, but in doing so, it had disturbed something else. Something far older.
Her fingers brushed against the walls of the cosmic void, and a ripple of dark energy surged through the galaxy. The starlight began to bend, warping and twisting as shadows crept toward the edges of the light.
> "It's begun," Eryssa whispered, her voice like a song sung in an ancient tongue. "The dream is stirring again. And this time, it will not be contained."
A figure emerged from the darkness behind her, tall and shrouded in tattered robes, its face hidden by a mask. His presence was as cold as the void itself.
"What will you do?" he asked, his voice hollow and metallic.
Eryssa turned to face him, her expression unreadable. "I will do what must be done. The Hollow Star was never meant to be whole. It was meant to keep them contained."
The figure raised an eyebrow. "The Outliers?"
"Yes," Eryssa said, her gaze cold. "The Outliers have returned. And this time, they will come for everything."