Aerolith's hide rippled.
Light gathered along the glossy lines that crossed her skin like drifting constellations.
Then the Skywhale began to shrink.
Vastness drew inward, and the air itself seemed to exhale as her silhouette narrowed and narrowed until the glow became a single standing figure.
The light faded.
A small girl stood where the Skywhale had hovered.
She was slight, barefoot, and her hair fell in soft waves that shimmered like deep water under moonlight. Her features were mostly human, but not entirely. Glossy starlines still wandered across her skin, and when she blinked, there was something too old in the depth of her eyes.
Lucien stared.
The girl looked up at him, and the Concord Pact tightened into clarity.
A meaning, translated into words.
[Brother. Thank you for saving me earlier.]
Lucien's mouth curved.
The voice felt like a tide learning how to speak.
