[: 3rd POV :]
The heart of the world pulsed softly around them.
Roots of light stretched outward from Mika's form, threading through layers of stone, sea, and sky, carrying warmth into places that had known only devastation.
Each pulse was slower now, steadier, no longer frantic.
The planet, no, the being, was calming.
Daniel remained where he was, arms around her, unmoving as time itself seemed to slow in reverence of the moment.
For someone who had stood unmoved before conquerors and envoys alike, this, holding a trembling world as it cried, felt heavier than any battlefield.
Mika's sobs gradually softened into quiet, broken breaths.
"I didn't know I could cry like this," she whispered, voice hoarse.
"I thought… I thought if I ever let myself feel it all at once, I would break."
Daniel said nothing, simply keeping his grip firm and steady.
"You didn't," he replied after a moment. "You survived."
She laughed weakly, a sound like starlight cracking through clouds.
