The first sign that something fundamental had shifted in the nature of reality came not as a scream or explosion, but as a question.
Reed felt it ripple through the void-touched corners of his consciousness—a whisper that carried the weight of infinite confusion: Why do they choose to suffer?
He froze, his partially materialized form flickering between dimensions as he processed the impossible. The Dark—that primordial force of absolute nothingness that had nearly consumed everything—had just asked a question. Not demanded, not commanded, not sought to devour. It had... wondered.
Through the Network that still connected him to the scattered Legion, Reed felt their collective shock as the same realization hit them all simultaneously. The void corruption they carried wasn't just changing them—it was being changed by them.