Time does not move... we do.
The words pulsed like a slow heartbeat in Achilles' mind. Each repetition sank deeper than the last, echoing in the hollowed silence that followed his ascent through the dream.
Time did not move. People did.
And yet, time had just danced for him. He had seen it. Walked in it. Felt it slide like velvet between his fingers. No longer an abstract current, but a weaving he could reach into and tug. And as the final threads of the dream unraveled...
BOOM.
The world returned.
A breath.
A blink.
He opened his eyes.
Above, the skies of Thalassara shimmered with their usual iridescent glow, and below, the golden waterfalls of the Adrastia Continent spilled into the endless blue. His head rested on Rose's lap, the warmth of her body grounding him. Her hand moved gently through his hair, but the rhythm faltered the moment she looked into his eyes.
Her breath caught.
