The flight back to Jin's family estate was quiet. The Ashbluff jet slid through an evening sky the colour of a bruise, and I stared out the window while my head went in circles.
The archive had broken something in my sense of scale. A week ago, an eight-star skeleton had been the best thing I could imagine owning. Now I'd stood in a room with seven nine-star pieces and been told I could have them if the design deserved it.
My last summon. Whatever I built, I'd live with it for the rest of my life.
'You're overthinking,' Luna said. 'You always do your best work on instinct. Then you overthink it afterwards and take the credit.'
"Easy for you to say," I muttered. "You don't have to carry it around."
Jin looked up from the seat across the aisle. "You're talking to yourself again."
"Thinking out loud."
"With you, those are both bad signs." He nodded at nothing in particular. "The nine-star room got to you."
"It got to everyone."
