A gentle warmth stirred in my chest, rising slowly toward my throat. Then it left me. A pink sphere floated upward, glowing softly, the word Memories shining faintly on its surface.
I watched it drift away and vanish into the serpent's open mouth.
Almost immediately, I felt something slip away in my head, familiar shapes, laughter, a room bathed in sunlight but the details blurred and disappeared before I could grasp them.
And my rock slowed, steadier now, the pull weakening around me.
All of us floated there in silence, moving slower than before. No one spoke. No one looked at each other.
Because deep down, we all felt the same hollow ache where something once existed.
I lifted my gaze toward the serpent's glowing maw. If even memories could be sacrificed, then maybe anything could.
I took a deep breath and focused inward, feeling the subtle currents of Essence and comprehension in my mind.
