Power

Jaden stood at the edge of Central Park, watching the sun rise over a city that no longer felt entirely real. The New York skyline shimmered in the early morning light, familiar skyscrapers interspersed with impossible structures that defied conventional physics. A crystalline tower spiraled into the clouds, its facets reflecting a kaleidoscope of alternate realities. Nearby, a building seemed to phase in and out of existence, its form never quite settling.

"Still hard to believe, isn't it?" Zoe's voice came from behind him. She stepped up beside him, her presence a comforting warmth in the cool morning air.

Jaden nodded, his eyes tracking a flock of birds that shifted colors with each wingbeat. "Every time I think I'm getting used to it, something new pops up."

It had been a week since their return from the cosmic realm, a week of frantic activity as they struggled to understand and contain the changes sweeping across the globe. The world was transforming, reality itself bending and