As the world grew darker and colder, the primary sense for all life became the detection of light and heat. The Gorgon-Walkers evolved complex patterns of bioluminescence on their hides, using them not just for energy, but for communication and deception. These were not mere glows; they were high-definition displays of biological light. A specific strobe of light could signal a challenge, a mating call, or a warning of an approaching Sky-Shroud. The dark valleys of the world became illuminated by these shifting patterns, a neon nightmare where every flicker could mean life or death.
The "Bioluminescent Wars" were fought in the pitch-black valleys of the northern continents. Armies of Walkers would clash, their bodies flashing in rhythmic sequences that could blind or disorient their rivals. Some evolved "false-eyes"—glowing spots on their tails that mimicked the signature of a weak, dying Walker, luring predators into a lethal ambush. Others developed "Light-Shields," where they would pulse so brightly that they became a blur of white light, making it impossible for an attacker to find a vital organ. The strategy of combat shifted from brute force to visual manipulation and psychological warfare.
During this time, the first signs of true intelligence began to flicker within the Prime Alphas. They began to coordinate their flashes, working in teams to corner the Marrow Harvesters. They realized that by standing in specific formations, they could create a wall of light that acted as a physical barrier to the sensitive, deep-sea-evolved eyes of the emerging Abyssal Terrors. These formations were the first military tactics in history, proof that the Gorgons were beginning to understand the power of collective action. They would encircle an enemy and pulse in a dizzying, hypnotic rhythm that paralyzed the victim's nervous system before the physical kill was even made.
The landscape was a strobing nightmare. To a distant observer, the Earth would have looked like a flickering coal in the dark of space. These wars were not about territory, but about the control of the "Visual Spectrum." The species that could see the best, and remain the most hidden, would be the one to survive the coming thaw. The Gorgon-Walkers were becoming more than monsters; they were becoming a civilization of light. They began to mark their territories with "Luminous Pillars"—piles of mineral-rich stone coated in their own glowing saliva, which would burn for years as a beacon to allies and a warning to foes.
As the wars escalated, some Walkers evolved the ability to "cloak," suppressing their bioluminescence entirely and absorbing all ambient light. These "Shadow-Stalkers" were the ultimate assassins of the era, invisible even to the heat-senses of their kin. They would wait in the absolute darkness, silent and cold, until a glowing target wandered too close. The Bioluminescent Wars proved that evolution would always find a way to weaponize even the most beautiful of traits. Light was no longer a symbol of life; it was a target, a lure, and a weapon of mass destruction in a world that had forgotten the day.