The world upended, turned over on itself, hurled forward in a pulsing kaleidoscopic spiral that lengthened into a pinpoint toward an invisible horizon. Stars pulsed then shattered into shards of space dust, and galaxies exploded into colorful cosmic arrays as one by one they were sucked into the vortex. Space compressed, expanded, and devoured itself until at last belching blackness that stretched ad infinitum.

The inner point of the virginal void ripped open, releasing tendrils ...