Tiamara Vale stopped pretending the fragment was just a thing she carried.
It wasn't.
It responded.
Not like an object reacting to touch—but like something aware of her presence.
That morning, the group gathered in silence again.
Mirelle was half-asleep on the couch.
Jessara was already analyzing the fragment from every angle she could.
Luneth hadn't closed her laptop all night.
Lucien stood near the window like he expected the world outside to behave differently today.
Bishop was missing.
And that absence felt heavier than anyone admitted.
Tia sat with the fragment in her hands.
Quiet.
Listening.
Then it pulsed once.
Soft.
And something appeared—not in the air, but in her mind.
A shape.
A meaning.
𐌓𐌄 𐌊𐌄𐌍
Tia whispered before she could stop herself.
"…Raen."
The room went still.
Jessara looked up sharply. "You know that?"
Tia shook her head.
"…It knows me."
That was the first time no one argued with her.
Because the fragment reacted again at her voice.
Not as a machine would respond—but like recognition.
Luneth slowly spoke.
"…It's not translating."
Lucien frowned. "Then what is it doing?"
Tia's voice was barely audible.
"…It's listening."