Location:Pavilion — Starforge Nexus, Eden's laboratory
Date/Time:Mid Voidmarch, 9939 AZI — evening to late night
Realm:Lower Realm (soul-space)
Eden held the pill the way a jeweler held an uncut diamond — both hands, steady, the dark wood case resting on the laboratory table between two formation-stabilized crystal trays.
The Soulbloom. Pearlescent. Thumbnail-sized. The surface shifting with iridescence that caught the bioluminescent light and broke it into colors that shouldn't have existed. It was beautiful. It radiated a warmth that Eden could feel through the silk lining, through the case, through the table — a low, constant heat, like a heartbeat.
"This is the most valuable thing I've ever held," Eden said. "More valuable than anything I worked with in my previous life. More valuable than the equipment Xi Corp gave me, and they gave me things that could have bought cities." She looked at Jayde. "Ryo trusts us with it. I'm going to treat it accordingly."
