Ten… I've… got… ten of them…
I could barely put the feeling into words. My entire body felt like it had been dragged through fire and ice, but the moment that last needle settled in my hand, something bright and wild flared inside my chest. Joy, relief, maybe even a little madness. No matter how much this trial had drained me, no matter how many times it made me wish I could strangle the system itself, I finally had them.
At last, I could use my acupuncture needles again. My own strength, my own tools, back where they belonged.
Even if my hands were shaking, even if I could barely stand, I held those needles like lifelines. Because that is exactly what they were.
