The unfinished bowl rested quietly on Ilya's workbench.
Inside it, the Book of Future Names remained open to a single sentence.
Nox did not move.
The words seemed heavier than mountains.
For countless ages, the Rootless Shadow had believed every beginning was simply the first step toward inevitable loss.
Now, for the first time, another possibility existed.
---
Ilya carefully lifted the bowl.
"It isn't finished yet."
She held it toward Nox.
"Neither are you."
The Shadow hesitated.
Instead of taking the bowl, it gently touched its rim.
A faint silver crack appeared in the clay.
Rather than weakening it, the bowl became stronger.
Luma remembered the repaired cup at the Gate of the First Promise.
Some things gained strength because they had once been broken.
---
Suddenly, th
