I didn't sleep.
Not even a little.
I just laid there staring at the branches overhead while Tessa snored softly like a tiny, innocent chainsaw and Lune sat statue-still against the tree, sword across her knees. She didn't look at me. Didn't need to. She knew I was awake.
The fire had burned down to a few dying orange pieces that pulsed like a heartbeat.
Mine? His? Hard to tell.
The god was quiet for a while.
Then—
> "It is happening."
I didn't move. I didn't breathe. I didn't want to acknowledge him.
But something inside me shifted anyway.
Not painful.
Not dramatic.
Just… different.
Like someone rearranged the furniture of my soul without asking.
My fingertips tingled. My chest felt full.
Not physically. Emotionally.
Like grief and hunger and destiny and loneliness all tangled into one knot.
I exhaled shakily.
My breath came out as starlight.
Just for a second.
Then normal again.
"…you're changing," I whispered.
> "We are changing."
I shook my head. "Not we. Not us. I'm still me."
A low amused hum shimmered through my bones.
> "Of course you are, Rei. You wanted power. I answered. This is simply the next step."
I sat up. Quiet. Slow.
The night held its breath.
Across the fire, Lune opened one eye.
Not wide. Just… enough.
She had known.
She always knows.
---
The Evolution (If You Can Call It That)
People think power awakening is fireworks and glowing auras and hair turning neon pink.
No.
This was…
A heartbeat.
One single heartbeat.
THUM.
The stars above us flickered.
The shadows around us pulled inward.
Like the world was leaning closer to listen.
Tessa kept sleeping.
Of course she did.
Bless her gremlin soul.
Lune didn't speak. Just watched. Like a wolf watching lightning hit the ground and deciding whether to run or kneel.
Inside me:
Something unfolded.
Not growing.
Not awakening.
Just remembering.
Like it had always been there and I had simply been too small to notice.
> "You feared becoming me," the god murmured.
"But you forget… I was once you."
That didn't help. At all. Deeply unhelpful information, actually.
---
The Emotion Part (unfortunately)
I lowered my head.
"I didn't ask for this."
I sounded small.
Pathetic.
But I meant it.
Lune finally spoke. Quiet. Not sharp for once.
"No one asks for fate."
Her voice had softness in it. A scarred softness.
Like someone who lost something once. Something huge.
I swallowed. Hard.
"…Do you think I can control it?"
Lune didn't answer immediately.
She looked at the fire.
At me.
At the night.
Then:
"Yes.
But not alone."
Something stung behind my eyes.
Stupid. Embarrassing.
I turned away.
> "You are afraid of being a monster," the god whispered.
"But monsters do not worry about that."
Which, rude, but okay.
---
Something New Wakes Up
I lifted my hand.
A faint pattern glowed under my skin.
Not a magic circle.
Not runes.
Something older.
Lines like constellations.
Tessa stirred in her sleep, mumbling something about toast betraying her.
I laughed. Quiet. Rough.
Lune exhaled too, and that was weird because I didn't think she breathed.
"…You're stabilizing," she murmured. "Your mana signature is shifting."
"Into what?"
Lune's eyes were unreadable.
But not fearful.
"Into yourself."
The chill in my chest loosened.
For the first time, the god didn't feel like a parasite.
He felt like a shadow I had always cast but never noticed.
Still terrifying.
But… mine.
---
And Then
Lune stood.
"Sleep," she said. "I'll keep watch."
"I… don't think I can."
"You will."
That wasn't a suggestion.
Tessa rolled over in her blanket-cocoon and latched onto my arm like a koala.
Instant. No hesitation.
Like she'd trained for this moment.
Her face squished against my shoulder.
"Rei… don't turn into a star monster, okay?" she mumbled.
I stared at her.
"…I'll try."
The god laughed softly.
Not cruel.
Just… knowing.
> "Rest, little spark. Dawn will need you."
My eyes slowly closed.
And for the first time…
I didn't feel alone.