POV: Thelma

The silence was the hardest part. Not the external silence. Prime Existence hummed with life, billions of voices from seven merged realities creating a symphony of consciousness. But the internal silence, the empty space where Theo's presence should be in the twin bond, that was unbearable.

I stood at my window overlooking Unity Prime, the capital city of our new unified reality. Architecture from seven different Earths blended into something breathtaking. Magical towers stood beside technological spires. Organic structures grew alongside divine temples. It was beautiful. Impossible. Everything Theo had died to create.

Xavier's arms wrapped around me from behind. Through our mate bond, I felt his steady...