Echoes

Three months after the events at the Vault, the world maintained its outward appearance of normalcy. Cities still bustled, commerce continued, politics followed familiar patterns. Yet beneath these surface continuities, profound changes were unfolding—subtle at first, but accelerating as more individuals awakened to new perceptions.

Blake stood on the rooftop garden of what had once been Covenant headquarters but now operated under a different name: the Elemental Integration Research Center. The sleek corporate signage had been replaced with a symbol representing five interlocking elements, a visual reminder of the organization's transformed purpose.

"The Australian node is fully stabilized," he reported to the assembled team leaders. "Fire manifestations have established permanent residence in areas previously devastated by corruption. They're actively restoring natural burn cycles rather than causing destruction."