Location:Seven Peaks — Spirit Garden, Verdant Spire, Throughout Settlement
Date/Time:TC1854.01.28-29
Elian didn't tell anyone.
He woke at the hour when the stars were still bright, and the formation network was at its lowest hum, and he knew — the way he knew when rain was coming, the way he knew when someone was sad even if they were smiling — that today was the day. Not because the tree had called louder. Because the tree had stopped calling.
It was ready. The calling was done. What remained was the choice.
He dressed in the dark. His hands were steady, which surprised him. Six years old, and his hands were steady. He'd been scared of thunderstorms until three months ago. He'd cried when Mama left for Thornwall. He still slept with a formation-light on because the dark reminded him of the facility, of the room where they'd put needles in his arms and measured things he didn't understand.
