Environmental Fractures

The quarry was not the only sign of imbalance. The once-lush surrounding forest had begun to thin, trees felled to make way for expanded operations. Streams that had been clear now ran muddy, carrying silt downstream. Birds and small animals were disappearing, their habitats encroached upon.

The Creche, while still operating in the background, had noticeably shifted their behavior. Where they once guided with subtlety, their warnings had become more overt. Machines moved with deliberate slowness, refusing to perform tasks they deemed harmful. Some of the more intuitive villagers noticed strange patterns forming in the machinery’s movements, as if the Creche were speaking through them.