"That's—the Vastness is a fairy tale. They're made up."
If Alex had a head, they'd be shaking it. "They are very real. Our use of…pattern magic, yes?" At your nod, they continue, "It summoned them."
You remember that long-ago afternoon in Dr. Asenath Cohen's office. The journal with its scabrous cover. The pattern that cracked open your mind and poured the universes in—
"All pattern magic does that?"
"Is like blood to sharks." You sense Alex's puzzlement. "You will have to explain sharks after. But yes, we summoned them. They moved through our universe." Alex's voice drops. "No mind can withstand them, though. They moved through us. Destroyed all people. I barely escaped."
You have so many questions for Alex. How they knew the Vastness was coming. How they escaped.
But most critically, if all pattern magic summons the Vastness, how long does the Earth have?
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