In the morning, the world lay still – too still. No rushing, no humming, no familiar pulsing of the Network. Only a breathless silence that covered everything like fog.
Lina stood on the cliff, looking out at the sea. It had changed its color – deeper, almost transparent, as if one could see into the body of the Earth.
The lines of light that had danced across the waves yesterday were gone.
"She's sleeping," she said quietly.
Behind her, Alaric stepped closer. The wind tousled his hair; his eyes were red from the light that had flooded through him during the night.
"Or she's holding her breath," he replied. "Just like we are."
Lina smiled weakly. "Maybe she's just learning what breathing means."
Malrik stood further back, arms crossed, half in shadow. His body seemed more solid, more human than before, but his eyes still flickered with a restless blue.
"If she's learning," he said, "then she needs teachers. And laws."
