Chapter Title: The Moment Reality Bends
The shift was subtle.
So subtle that, for a heartbeat, nothing seemed different.
The ruined village still burned.
Ash still drifted through the air.
The three figures still stood before him, unmoving, unreadable.
And yet—
Everything had changed.
Azrael felt it first.
Not as power.
Not as pressure.
But as permission.
The world was no longer pushing him away.
It was no longer trying to correct him.
It was… adjusting.
Accommodating.
Recognizing.
His breathing steadied.
His stance straightened.
The pain in his body remained, but it no longer defined his limits.
For the first time since this began—
He was not forcing himself into existence.
He simply… was.
“…Huh,” he muttered.
“That’s new.”
Quinn’s voice came, quiet but sharp with
