Athelia sat alone beneath a glowing tree whose leaves shimmered like liquid crystal, each breath she drew syncing with the pulse of the mini-world Ethan had created. It was calm now—serene, almost too quiet. The sky overhead held twin suns, but their heat was gentle, more nurturing than overwhelming.
She rested her hand on the soft grass, feeling the steady thrum of magic beneath her fingertips. This place… it was born of Ethan's will. She closed her eyes, her thoughts heavy.
"Who am I… really?" she whispered to herself, the question lingering like a ripple in still water.
She felt like a puzzle composed of too many pieces—Tia, Angitia, herself… fragments of something larger, older, deeper. The memories weren't all hers, but they felt real. Flashes of laughter, of tears, of battlefields, of birth and death. Echoes of lives and loves all culminating in her.
