The Lantern Age
At first, the universe was a fog — a vast ocean of hydrogen, silent and opaque. Travelers wandered blind, hearing only the echo of the great bell of inflation and the hum of matter’s gathering chord.

Then, one by one, lanterns were lit. The first stars flared like torches in the mist, their light sharp enough to tear the fog apart. Each flame freed electrons from their bonds, turning shadow into clarity. Galaxies rose like villages of fire, and quasars blazed like bonfires on distant hills.

The fog thinned, the path cleared, and the universe became transparent. From then on, travelers could see across the cosmic plains, guided by lanterns that burned in every direction.

This was the Lantern Age — the dawn after the dawn, when the cosmos learned to shine.

So the epic of reionization is not just physics, but a myth of light: the moment the universe lit its lanterns and revealed itself.