The chanting had already begun by the time I reached the small clearing where Celeste worked. I stayed at a distance, watching as she circled Elista with slow, deliberate movement, ash and powdered root slipping through her fingers like gray snowfall. A ring of woven charms trembled faintly in the wind around them.
Elista sat motionless on the mat, eyes closed, lips parted, her breathing too steady to feel natural. It didn’t look like sleep. It looked like surrender.
I wrapped my arms around myself and forced my gaze to remain steady. I wasn’t part of the ritual, Celeste had made that clear. I would not leave my body. I would only witness what bled through.
The air grew dense like fog you could swallow. Tim and Noi stood behind me, quiet, tense, as Celeste’s voice dipped into a deeper r
