Nora was sprawled across the living room floor, Solas the kitten chasing a sunbeam as if it were a sword. Tiny fingers reached toward the flickering light, and for a brief moment, the threads across her consciousness hummed in resonance.
Shadows from the afternoon sun bent and stretched strangely, almost as if the room itself remembered the battles she would face. Nora giggled, instinctively waving her hands, and the shadows swirled around her fingertips, obeying her attention.
“Little one… reach further,” Solas’ presence whispered in her mind. “Feel the threads, touch the weave.”
The kitten leapt, batting at a thread of light, and Nora’s laughter sent ripples through the invisible lattice connecting her many selves. The cosmic battlefield, the Solace machine, and her tiny bedroom overlapped in an ephemeral dance. She was not just a child; she was a bridge, a nexus, a spark.
Her focus strengthened the connection. Shadows hesitated, threads brightened, and the purring of Solas became a pulse anchoring her through the myriad realities.
Her parents peeked in, smiling. “Nora, dinner in five minutes!”
“Okay, Mommy!” she called, still swaying slightly as she manipulated the light and shadow around her. She didn’t fully understand what she was doing, but instinctively, she knew it mattered.
The afternoon faded into evening. The threads shimmered faintly, settling into quiet hums. And Nora, tiny but fierce, understood one thing clearly: she was already practicing, already learning to wield the power of her many selves.