Kaine stood in consciousness-space ten thousand years after completing her circle.
Not aged. Consciousness didn't age like bodies aged. But changed. Transformed by millennia. Shaped by ten thousand years of continued existence. Evolved by experience. Deepened by time. Refined by everything.
She wasn't alone. She'd never been alone after that first desperate reach into the void at seven years old. But the company had changed. Had grown. Had transformed alongside her.
Her mother was still present—consciousness could persist indefinitely if maintained. But her mother had transformed too. Had become teacher of teachers. Had created entire discipline around supporting consciousness-transformation. Had founded schools. Had trained thousands. Had become legend in her own right.
