Just then—
A handful of children spotted Lucien.
They skidded across the street, sandals scraping, eyes wide like he was a story that had climbed out of a bedtime tale.
"It's here! The fairy is here!"
"Quick, catch him and let's make a wish!"
Tiny hands reached.
Lucien froze for half a heartbeat, caught off guard by innocence arriving at the worst possible time. In this split body, even a child's palm looked like a wall.
He smiled anyway.
He lifted himself into the air with a gentle pulse of will and drifted backward, out of reach.
The children gasped, then groaned in immediate heartbreak.
"Awww! He's running!"
"He does not want us!"
"Fairy, we only want your help!"
Lucien rose higher, refusing to let their disappointment tug him down.
He flew toward the tallest building in the shell-city. He perched beneath a ledge and looked down.
Now he could see the truth behind the noise.
The adults were anxious.
Not loud-anxious but worse than that.
