Chapter 961 — The Birth of Understanding
The Hollow had never seemed so alive to Eris.
The wind rustled through the stone streets, carrying the scent of herbs, smelted iron, and freshly baked bread. Voices called out from market stalls, laughter echoed through narrow corridors, and the rhythmic beat of hammers from the forges filled the air. Every sound, every flicker of motion felt new — tangible in a way she'd only ever imagined while living inside Kael's mind.
Now, she could see. She could feel.
And yet, she didn't fully understand any of it.
Kael walked a few paces ahead of her, hands clasped behind his back, as the people bowed or nodded in greeting. They looked at him with reverence — the man who had given them peace, the leader who had turned chaos into prosperity. Then their eyes would drift to her.
Some stared with awe, others with unease. The whispers always followed.
"That's her."
"The spirit from the project."
"She looks… normal."
"Is she dangerous?"
Eris caught every word, her heightened perception absorbing more than most mortals ever could. But she said nothing. She merely walked behind Kael, mimicking the way he moved, her soft white robe fluttering slightly as she tried to match his pace.
Kael glanced over his shoulder. "You don't have to walk that far behind me, Eris."
Her head tilted, the motion deliberate, almost mechanical. "It seems appropriate. You are their leader. I am…" She hesitated. "Something new. They do not know what I am."
Kael's smile was faint, patient. "You're not something. You're someone. Let them get used to you."
She blinked at that, eyes like quicksilver catching the sunlight. "Someone," she repeated softly, tasting the word like it was foreign.
They spent most of the morning overseeing work in the lower districts — the rebuilding of the new science hall, now protected by layered enchantments and guarded day and night. The workers bowed when Kael passed, and a few even offered her smiles. One young girl handed Eris a flower — a simple, bright violet — before darting away shyly.
Eris stared at it for a long time, unsure what to do.
"Do I consume it?" she asked, holding it delicately between her fingers.
Kael chuckled. "No. You keep it. It's a gift."
"A gift…" she murmured. "Why give something and receive nothing in return?"
"That's what kindness is," Kael said, watching her as she stared at the flower with the same intensity she once reserved for strategic maps and magical diagrams. "Not everything in this world is a transaction."
Eris turned the small bloom in her fingers. "I don't understand. But I want to."
He smiled softly. "That's enough."
Later, in the quiet of the evening, Eris sat alone in the council chamber — or rather, she waited. She didn't sleep. Not yet. Her body could, in theory, but she had no need to. She simply existed, watching the flickering candlelight dance against the walls.
When Kael entered, he wasn't surprised to find her there. "You're still awake."
"I do not think I can sleep," she admitted. "I keep… hearing things. The air, the heartbeat of the Hollow, the people's voices. It's all so much. It's… alive."
Kael leaned against the table, arms folded. "You're just adjusting. It'll get easier."
Eris's gaze drifted toward him. "Kael… I wish to ask something."
"Go ahead."
She hesitated — a rare moment of uncertainty. "Earlier, when the people smiled at you, I felt… something. My body reacted. My chest grew tight. My thoughts felt slow. It was unpleasant, but not painful. Is that emotion?"
Kael nodded slowly. "It might be. Maybe pride, or nervousness. Or both."
She tilted her head. "And when you looked at Lyria today — when you smiled at her — your mind felt… warm. I sensed it. You call that love, yes?"
Kael exhaled, his tone gentler now. "Yes. That's love."
"Is that what you wanted me to learn?"
"No," he said softly, meeting her curious eyes. "That's something you'll have to find for yourself. But I hoped that giving you a body would let you feel more of what it means to live — not just observe it."
Eris looked down at her hands — the faintest tremor running through them as she flexed her fingers. "Then this warmth I felt when the child gave me the flower… that was living?"
Kael smiled faintly. "That's what it sounds like."
For a long moment, she said nothing, only watching the candlelight flicker. Then, almost in a whisper, she said, "It's strange. I think I want to feel it again."
Kael turned to leave, resting a hand on her shoulder before he did. "You will. In time."
As the door closed behind him, Eris looked back at the flower she had placed on the table. She touched one of its petals — fragile, trembling at her touch — and for the first time since she'd been given form, she smiled.
It was small, awkward, and fleeting.
But it was real.