Their breathing stayed slow, their closeness steady, and for a few minutes, Ethan let himself sink into the rare feeling of something he didn't often get to hold onto—peace.
It was the kind of peace that didn't come from silence alone but from knowing he wasn't alone in the silence, that the two pressed against him had chosen to be there, and that choice was enough to take the weight off his chest in ways words never could.
Still, even as his body began to loosen, his mind wouldn't stop moving. It never did, not really. Somewhere in the back of his head, behind the comfort of their warmth, the shadow of the system stirred, like a door waiting to be opened.
It hadn't spoken in a while, hadn't forced him into decisions or handed him sudden power like it sometimes did, but he could feel it, restless and patient all at once.
It was only a matter of time, and he knew the next time it spoke, it wouldn't be something small.
