Chapter 157. The Changing Moon

Merely entertaining these thoughts sent searing waves of pain through Hubert’s mind. He’d borne witness to such a cataclysm once before. It was he who had dismantled the vast intellect of Raymond, extracting that very orb of power from him.

As Raymond’s lifeblood ceased its flow, so did the apocalypse. Such cataclysms, historically spaced millions, perhaps tens of thousands of years apart, had now returned after only two millennia. This accelerated pace was deeply unsettling, disturbing Hubert’s already fragile state. How could he possibly forestall another?

The vaccine from yesteryears, two millennia old, had lost its efficacy. What drove this current apocalypse? What could stymie this rapid petrification?

He couldn’t bear to harm Raymond again. Raymond, now sentient, possessing the awareness akin to humans, to end him would be the very epitome of cruelty. Especially since love flowed bidirectionally between them.

"Hubert, are you well?"

Witn