Denise noticed the change before she understood it.It wasn’t in Liam.It wasn’t in the forest.It was in her.Something had started happening between thought and reaction—a small, unfamiliar space where she didn’t immediately turn what she felt into meaning.They were walking again, though neither of them had decided to start moving. It had simply resumed, as if stillness had naturally resolved into motion.Denise spoke quietly.“I think I stopped waiting for the bond to tell me what I already feel,” she said.Liam glanced at her.“And?”Denise hesitated.“It feels like I’m carrying more of myself than I used to,” she admitted.A pause.“And less of an explanation.”Liam nodded once.“That’s accurate.”Denise let out a faint breath.“I used to think the explanation was the feeling,” she said.Liam didn’t respond immediately.He was careful with this part of the conversation—not because it was fragile, but because it was foundational.Finally, he said,“It replaced uncertainty.”Denis
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