As we left the spire behind, its ancient silhouette fading into the distance, the weight of what we'd discovered pressed heavily on my shoulders. The morning sunlight felt sharp and intrusive, like the world outside was rushing to remind us of its normalcy—something the spire had utterly disrupted.
Raijuu trotted ahead, his tail swishing with satisfaction. His mood was contagious. For all the mind-boggling implications of the celestial alignments, the ancient devices, and whatever that last mechanism was, I had to admit: It felt good to breathe fresh air again.
"Are we just going to ignore how insane that place was?" Kijin asked, adjusting the straps of her gear as she walked beside me.
"Pretty sure that's not possible," I replied. "But if you have any ideas on how to explain it to the Explorer Association without sounding like conspiracy theorists, let me know."
Kijin grinned. "We'll stick to the facts. No mentioning secret cosmic cults. Yet."
