The Close Pass

When the universe was born, it erupted from a single point, an explosion of pure potential. What remained at its core was not a star, nor a planet, but something deeper—a pulse of energy that governed all matter around it. From this center, existence began to spiral outward, forming not just galaxies, but layers of reality itself.

The fabric of creation did not settle into a single form. Instead, it fractured into countless dimensions—worlds within worlds—each an echo of the original birth. These were not mere planets or stars but vast, multidimensional spheres, each containing its own laws, its own time, its own fate. Within them, the first great cycle began: the recursive birth of universes.

Each world that emerged followed the same fundamental rule—everything orbits. The closer a universe is to the center, the faster it burns through its energy, destined to fade into darkness long before its outer cousins. But distance brings its own consequences. The further a world drifts from the core, the more it is exposed to the lingering forces of creation—waves of primal energy radiating outward, unseen yet ever-present.

No world exists in perfect isolation. When two universes pass near each other, they react. Their boundaries—normally firm—begin to unravel at the edges, like threads loosening in a tightly woven fabric. A small tear. A slow leak. A subtle blending of realities. With each close pass, the two become more entangled, sharing echoes of history, mirroring aspects of one another.

It is not the first time these two particular worlds have passed in orbit, but never before have they come so close. Never before has the fabric between them been stretched so thin.

And this time, something slipped through.

The signs of a passing are subtle at first. The dimensions holding each world together grow loose, the edges fray, the laws of reality tremble. Those attuned to such things may feel it—a shift, a ripple, an unexplainable disturbance. The air hums with something foreign, something out of place.

Some might call it fate. Others, an anomaly.

But for the first time, the leak did not simply mix ideas or patterns.

This time, it took something.

And placed it where it did not belong.