Lumi slept for three days.
She didn't dream. Or if she did, she didn't remember them. Just lay still in the dark of the cottage room, breathing shallow and slow, her small body fighting to integrate what Elena had given her. Sera sat by her bedside the entire time, watching her daughter's face cycle through expressions — fear, anger, sorrow, something that looked almost like peace. She changed the cold cloth on Lumi's forehead every hour. She whispered stories into the silence, hoping her voice could reach her daughter wherever she'd gone inside herself.
The power didn't fade. It settled. Grew. Became part of her in a way that changed everything — her eyes, her scent, the way she moved through the world. When she finally opened her eyes again, they were different. Not just golden, but de
