Gerald's first coherent thought after ten thousand years of dormant silence was simple and profound.
I've made a terrible mistake staying conscious.
Awareness returned gradually like ice melting in spring. First came sensation. The weight of his stone form. The cold morning air of winter not quite ended. The pressure of small hands holding him during meditation exercises that had become routine background noise to his fading consciousness.
Then came perception. Spiritual sense awakening after millennia of dreamless sleep. He could feel again. The spiritual pressure of three children training nearby. Their combined resonance humming through his mineral structure like tuning forks achieving perfect harmony.
