The final line above the fourth path continued to burn.
True bond witnessing awaits.
The sentence did not stand inside the Record Core like only a record. It gathered all the darkness of the room into a single point. Arven's voice had fallen silent. The red line outside had not. The weak breath coming from Seren's glass had not. Darian's inner fire was still burning beneath its own line.
But beneath all the sounds, Elara heard something thinner. The beating of her own heart. Rowan's hand was still in hers. This contact was not loud. It was not demanding. But the Record Core could not ignore it. Because this time, the contact had been made by Elara's own will. Not to escape fear, not to surrender to someone, but to remain inside her own body.
Kael's voice came from outside, very low. "Your true mate bond."
