134 : Those Who Have Been Gathered -

As the hum intensified, the walls of the hall began to dissolve. They weren't in a castle anymore. They were standing on a glass shelf suspended in the star-choked belly of the cosmos.

They had been plucked from every corner of the fractured empire. Some were kings in tattered silk; others were beggars with eyes like flint. No one knew why the summons had come, only that to ignore it was to invite the silence of the void. The Assembly

Should the story focus more on the of one specific character among the 134, or 134 : Those Who Have Been Gathered

In its place stood a gateway. The voice spoke one final time, offering a terrifying ultimatum. They could step through and become the blueprints for a new reality, or they could return to their world and watch the sun go out for the last time.

A voice, synthesized from a thousand whispers, filled their minds: "You are the census of a dying world." As the hum intensified, the walls of the

One by one, the 134 looked at each other. The king reached out and took the hand of the beggar. The warrior sheathed his sword.

Gripping hilts of swords that felt strangely heavy. They had been plucked from every corner of

Watching the shadows dance with unnerving calm.