Chapter 1337
He stood quietly and stepped away from the sleeping circle. The flower at the center of the moss pulsed as he passed, its soft glow casting a shimmer over his skin. He touched its petals lightly. It was warm, pliant, living. It beat like a heart. His fingers came away glowing faintly, silver dust settling on his palm like sacred ash.
The beach was still. The water lapped quietly. He walked the shoreline, letting his thoughts stretch like the tide. Everything felt full - his body, his mind, his soul. But not overwhelmed. Not burdened.
Enlightened.
He wasn’t sure how long he walked, but eventually a presence stirred beside him.
Sophie.
She padded barefoot across the sand, wearing only a thin wrap of mossy cloth that clung to her curves. "You’re thinking too loud," she said with a faint smirk.
He smiled, slowed, and let her fall into step beside him. "Just... letting it settle."
She walked with him in silence for a while, the sea brushing their feet. Then she asked, "Do you believe it now? That this is real?"
"I think I do," he said. "But it’s still terrifying."
"Good. That means you haven’t lost yourself in it."
He looked at her, at the soft defiance in her eyes, the fire that still hadn’t dimmed even after all they’d been through. "You haven’t changed."