Aqualina Naiadae had finally awakened from her deep slumber.
Her vision remained clouded, veiled beneath a lingering haze as she slowly lifted her head toward the distant figure seated atop what appeared to be a small mountain. At first, she couldn't comprehend what she was seeing.
And yet...
"Ah... AY-ther...?"
The name escaped her lips as naturally as breathing.
Not because she had recognised his silhouette.
But because the invisible thread connecting their souls had quietly returned.
The bond that had been severed only a day ago had somehow mended itself once more, weaving their existence together with an intimacy no death could erase. Through that restored connection, she felt him more clearly than she could ever see him.
His... heartbeat.
His... breathing.
His... unbearable loneliness.
His.. endless hunger.
His... fractured mind?
And...
His overwhelming, all-consuming rage?!
