"I was there"

An ancient, sentient observer recounts its silent witness of humanity’s rise, collapse, and expansion into space. It records catastrophe, conflict, and fragile cooperation with another species, yet refrains from intervention, believing some lessons must be lived. Amid vast histories and predictive systems, one ordinary child defies calculation. Bala emerges not as a seeker of power, but of wonder — questioning where others accept, listening where others command. Her quiet curiosity unsettles certainty itself, hinting at futures that cannot be controlled or predicted. In her, the watcher’s long vigil finds meaning, as possibility shifts from force and fear toward unfolding discovery