34 Thorne “Nothing compares to the joy of transcendents reuniting.” - Empress Ophelia, author of The Lost Book of Transcendence For one moment, everything is perfect. The drift void opens to a laboratory on earth. I vaguely register that the place is packed with cool tech. Still, all my attention stays locked on Meimi. She stands on the other side of the drift void. Beautiful. Beaming. My transcendent. Then her body changes. Dark particles fly off her skin. The movement is too fast for most people to see, but I can tell what’s happening. That’s because I now wield Crown Sentient, too. And because of that, there’s no question in my mind. Crown Sentient are leaving Meimi. Her stance wobbles. No doubt, the fact that Meimi is losing sentient makes her feel weak. At the same time, the p

