Séraphina Lokey:
Dawn was slowly breaking over the Base, and the first rays of sunlight filtered through the curtains of my modest yet welcoming room.
I slowly opened my eyes, still wrapped in the warmth of my blankets. It took me a few moments to fully wake up.
Then I felt a calm, silent presence beside me.
A gentle hand softly took hold of mine.
It was Iris Chapi, Jérémy's daughter.
She was sitting quietly next to my bed, her eyes closed...
yet somehow fully awake.
The peaceful expression on her face stood in stark contrast to the turmoil that still lingered within me.
We had spent the evening together, talking about simple yet precious things—books we loved, dreams we had experienced, and the unique way she perceived the world.
She had also been genuinely concerned about my health.
Carefully, I slipped out of bed, trying not to wake her.
It was pointless.
Her eyes opened immediately.
"Have you been here all night?" I asked.
"I wanted to make sure you slept well," she answered simply.
A small smile appeared on my lips.
Her concern was both unusual...
and deeply sincere.
I sat down on the edge of the bed.
"You don't have to worry about me. Since our conversation, I've been feeling much better. And I have to admit..."
I smiled softly.
"...I'm looking forward to hearing what your father wants to tell us today."
She tilted her head ever so slightly, as though searching for the right words.
"I'm sure my father will find the right words to explain everything to you," she said softly. "He always does with me."
While I quietly got ready for the day, Iris remained in my room, reading one of the books that had accompanied me the night before.
Once I was ready, we left together and made our way toward Jérémy's workshop.
The walk was peaceful, filled with quiet conversations, exchanged glances, and knowing smiles.
The crisp morning air felt refreshing as we crossed the different buildings of the Base.
There was something about it...
a quiet promise of a new beginning.
As we approached the workshop, we crossed paths with Daniel.
His face looked drawn, and he, too, seemed to be heading there.
He appeared surprised to see Iris and me arriving together, but he said nothing and simply fell into step beside us.
When we reached the door, a wave of dizziness suddenly washed over me.
Iris gently tightened her hand around mine, helping me steady my breathing.
"I'll go in first to make sure everything is alright, if you don't mind," she said before releasing my hand and quietly stepping inside the workshop.
I turned toward Daniel.
Tiny beads of sweat glistened across his forehead, and the unease written on his face was impossible to miss.
"Daniel... are you alright?" I asked. "We've known each other for almost four years, and this is the first time I've ever seen you like this."
He forced a faint smile.
"Let's just say... I've been better. It seems Jérémy wants to talk to us."
"Yes." I nodded.
"According to his daughter, he's going to explain a few things to us."
I hesitated before lowering my voice.
"...Like the voices we've been hearing."
At those words, Daniel spun toward me, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"You can hear them too?"
Before either of us could say another word, the workshop door opened.
Jérémy stood in the doorway.
Dark circles lingered beneath his eyes, and he was dressed in simple, casual clothes.
"Thank you for coming," he said calmly. "Please, come in."
He invited us inside.
Once everyone had entered, he quietly closed the door behind us before turning to face us.
His expression had grown serious.
Iris stood silently at his side.
"Considering everything that's happened, it's time I tell you the truth about the Celestial Rings."
He slowly walked toward the adjoining workshop, where Iris's central unit rested alongside the first two Celestial Rings he had ever created:
Adamai and Evangelyne.
"Everything you think you know..." he continued,
"...is only a tiny fraction of what I've allowed you to see."
He gestured toward the armchairs arranged around the workshop, inviting us to sit.
We silently took our seats.
"But before we go any further," he added,
"I have a question to ask you... and a promise I'd like you to make."
Daniel frowned in confusion.
"What is it you want to ask us?"
Jérémy rested one hand on the Celestial Ring beside him.
"First, I'd like to know whether you'd be willing to become part of my project... and join me in the Principality of Riveria."
He paused before continuing.
"As for the promise..."
"...even if you decide not to join us, I want everything I'm about to reveal to remain strictly between the four of us."
I immediately understood what he meant.
He was protecting his technology...
while still leaving us free to choose our own path.
"Do we have to give you an answer about your project right now?" I asked. "I need some time to think things through, get organized, and discuss it with the people close to me."
"Same here," Daniel added. "I'd like to talk it over with my family before making any decision."
"Of course," Jérémy replied. "Take all the time you need. We'll also go over the details of your contracts with my daughter's help."
"Don't worry," Iris added, giving us an approving nod. "I'll make sure you're both fairly compensated."
Jérémy looked back at us.
"Now... about that promise."
Daniel let out a faint smile.
"So how are we supposed to do this? Sign a contract... or make a blood oath?" he joked, though his humor sounded forced.
Iris sighed before giving her father's side a light nudge.
"Stop beating around the bush."
Jérémy picked up a small box containing one of the Celestial Rings and gently placed it on the table before us.
"A simple soul oath will be enough."
He looked at us one after the other.
"Place your hand on the box... and simply say, 'I swear.'"
Curious, we both rested a hand on the box.
"I swear."
A brief silence followed.
Jérémy smiled gently.
"Go ahead... you can speak now, little sister."
Another moment passed.
Daniel and I exchanged a puzzled glance.
Then...
A soft, childlike voice echoed inside us.
"Hello..."
"I'm so happy that I can finally speak with you."
The voice came from neither Jérémy nor Iris.
It wasn't carried through the air.
It resonated directly within our minds.
Daniel jolted upright in his chair.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
The shock must have been written all over our faces, but Jérémy continued calmly.
"I'd like you to meet my little sister..."
"Evangelyne Chapi."
He looked at us before adding,
"As I've recently discovered... both of you are capable of hearing them."
Neither of us spoke.
Daniel stared at Jérémy, his mouth hanging slightly open.
As for me...
I struggled to make sense of what I had just heard.
I already knew the Celestial Rings could speak.
At least, I knew I wasn't imagining it anymore.
But...
A sister?
Wasn't she supposed to be...
dead?
"I think they're afraid of me, big brother..." the gentle voice whispered, genuine sadness trembling in every word.
I had countless questions...
Yet none of them could find their way to my lips.
That voice...
It wasn't synthetic.
It wasn't artificial.
It carried real emotion—
far too human to belong to nothing more than a program.
"No," Jérémy replied gently.
"They're simply surprised."
He paused before asking,
"Would you tell them what you are?"
A brief silence followed.
Then Evangelyne spoke again.
"I was human..."
Her voice quivered ever so slightly.
"...just like you."
"Before..."
She hesitated.
"...before the plane crash."
She fell silent for a moment before continuing.
"Then one day... I heard my brother's voice."
"I no longer had a body."
"I no longer had eyes..."
"...but somehow, I knew I was turning toward him."
"And that's how I found myself here..."
"...by his side..."
"...like this."
Daniel's voice was barely more than a whisper.
"That day..."
He stared at the Ring.
"...so it was you?"
"Yes."
A shy warmth filled her voice.
"I'm sorry if I frightened you."
Almost without realizing it, I murmured,
"Then... the Celestial Rings really are human souls..."
It was more a thought spoken aloud than a question.
"Yes, Séraphina," Evangelyne answered softly.
"I am human."
Slowly, I rose from my chair and stepped toward the glowing box that held Evangelyne's Celestial Ring.
Or...
should I say...
the human being inside it?
I no longer knew.
At that moment, I felt Iris gently place her hand on my shoulder.
She still looked puzzled, unable to fully understand why Daniel and I were reacting so strongly.
Daniel suddenly shot to his feet.
"What is this supposed to mean, Jérémy?" he demanded, anger breaking through his voice.
"The Celestial Rings are human beings!"
"How could you do something like this to your own sister?"
Jérémy remained perfectly still.
Only the slight tightening of his lips betrayed the tension he was holding back.
"You're wrong!" Evangelyne answered firmly.
"My brother never did anything against my will."
"I came to him of my own choice."
"I feel free."
"I feel fulfilled in this form."
She paused briefly before adding,
"And I believe it's the same for the others."
A gentle wave of warmth and emotion washed over us.
Daniel's expression softened.
Slowly, he lowered himself back into his chair.
Jérémy handed each of us a glass of water.
"Do you understand now why I wanted all of this to remain between us?" he asked quietly.
Then, after a brief silence, he continued in a softer voice.
"The truth is..."
"...I'm just as much in the dark as you are."
"But..."
A faint smile crossed his face.
"I'm relieved that I'm no longer alone."
I frowned.
"What do you mean?"
He looked at Daniel, then at me.
"There are now three of us who can hear the Rings."
I turned toward Iris.
"Wait..."
"You can't hear them?"
She gently shook her head.
"Until recently, my father was the only one who could hear them."
She lowered her gaze for a moment.
"It worried me..."
"...until Séraphina confirmed that she could hear them too."
Jérémy couldn't help smiling.
"Well..." he said playfully,
"At least that proves I'm not crazy."
Iris let out a long, exasperated sigh.