Page 72 of Ecliptic

“Yes,” we replied at the same time.

Rowen shrugged with a smirk and leaned back against the rack. “Then carry on.”

Just as Takoda promised, he awaited me at the Hymma.

I had chosen not to speak with him beforehand, but if the healer was disappointed, he didn’t let it show.

I’d assured him I was strong enough to face what lay ahead. But what if I was wrong? A Voro-Kai demon had already slipped through the crack in the mountain, leaching into our world like a poisonous weed. The thought of more slowly escaping until Erovos tore the mountain apart was unbearable, especially without proper weapons to defend ourselves.

Each day, the clock ticked louder, and the war drums echoed closer.

I walked toward the Hymma, the geodesic dome reflecting the outside world panel by panel. At this distance, it appeared asno more than a mirage, a strange ripple against the rich forest landscape.

The last time I’d been in the Hymma, half of my body lived on Luneth while the other half laid comatose on Earth. I was weak, poisoned, and astrally torn.

Now, the mirror reflected a different image back at me.

I strode toward the Hymma with strong, determined steps. My hair was twisted down my back in a single braid, my dark pants fit snugly and laced up either hip, and my dark blue vest came to a point at my navel.

Rowen and Maddock flanked me on either side. The man on my right, his presence like warm wood and sharp steel, had been in the Hymma with me, while the other, like stolen silver and gold, had slept next to my motionless body in the hospital.

They offered their support, reminding me that though the journey in the Hymma was mine to make, I was not alone.

“Remember, no earthly possession may enter here,” Takoda said reassuringly. “Set the intention and have it be so.”

“I will,” I said, glancing over my shoulder as Takoda averted his eyes. “Maddock, look away.”

“Why? Are you getting naked?” he asked sarcastically.

“Do as she says,” Rowen said, gripping his shoulders and spinning him around until his back was to me.

Shock lanced through his voice. “She is getting naked!”

“After the well, I told you if you ever laid your eyes on her like that again, I would rip you limb from limb,” Rowen said without a shred of jest.

“Why did we bring him again?” I asked, unlacing my top. Takoda had busied himself, walking around and checking the Hymma.

Madds remained turned from me. “It’s not like I haven’t seen it before.”

“I might just rip you limb from limb for your tongue,”Rowen remarked, his eyes boring into the back of Maddock’s head, but then quickly darting back to me as I slid my bodice off my shoulders.

I removed everything, my eyes never leaving Rowen’s as I stripped down to my bare skin. My soul flame’s gaze heated my flesh as the cool air kissed my naked body.

“See you soon,” I said, turning and stepping beyond the moon-encrusted doorway. I took a deep breath, feeling the ancient energy of the Hymma becoming one with my body.

Takoda’s words rang through me like a guiding melody.

My intention was set.

I sat cross-legged on the ground and attuned myself to my breath.

I hadn’t realized it my first time here, but the Hymma was an introspective ceremony, like stepping into the room of your mind. The splashes of color and inverting shapes that existed behind my eyelids came to life around me. It was a reflection of the stardust that danced in my mind—a whole universe within me.

The lights pushed and pressed against the black cloak of consciousness.

As I started to float away from my body, my mind began to feel adrift, as if it had nowhere to land.

The last time, I’d been so weak that I hadn’t noticed how odd the sensation was. I had been without a body before, and I didn’t want to repeat the experience.

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