Darkness.
Again.
Infinite darkness.
But this time… warm. Quiet. Weightless.
Kai floated, bodiless, adrift in something that wasn't quite air or water or shadow. He blinked—though he had no eyes—and found himself in a pale expanse. There was no ground beneath him, but he stood. No sky above him, but he breathed.
A voice came like silk unraveling in his mind.
"You idiot."
Kai turned.
There she was.
Long obsidian hair, skin like bronze firelight, eyes shimmering with galaxies. Demeris. The goddess who had thrown his soul into this world with a laugh and a promise.
She looked disappointed. No… she looked tired.
"You're supposed to be clever," she said, crossing her arms. "I gave you everything. Freedom. Power. A second chance. And what do you do?"
Kai narrowed his eyes, confused. "I… died, didn't I?"
She raised a brow.
"You'd know if you died. This isn't the place I take you when you've bled your last drop. You're just mostly dead. There's a difference."
