The gardens were breathtaking.

  Soft lights glimmered along the paths, illuminating flowers that seemed to glow from within. Bioluminescent pnts painted the trees in shades of blue and green, and tiny nterns swayed gently in the evening breeze. The air smelled faintly of damp earth and something sweet — jasmine, maybe — and it made Ethan’s chest tighten.

  He followed the group, pretending to be interested, keeping pace with Alex, who was already pointing out a particurly glowing fern. “Look at that! Isn’t it insane?”

  Ethan nodded. “Yeah… incredible.”

  But his eyes kept drifting to the shadows, to the soft glow of the path ahead. That quiet, magical light… it pulled at him, tugging in a way that had nothing to do with curiosity or awe.

  Eri…

  The thought slipped into his mind like a whispered breeze, soft and undeniable.

  He was supposed to be Ethan.He was supposed to keep calm, keep walking, keep existing as the hollow boy everyone expected.

  But each step under the moonlight, surrounded by the luminous pnts, made his grip on himself weaker.He could almost feel her — Eri — stretching just beneath the surface, cws of instinct, warmth pressing against his chest, tails flicking in impatience.

  He blinked rapidly, forcing his eyes to the ground. His hands itched to brush against the neckce, to remove it, to finally feel her full presence.

  Alex leaned close. “Hey, you okay? You’re kinda quiet.”

  “Yeah… just… soaking it in,” Ethan said, voice tight.

  But inside, Eri’s awareness was growing, brushing against his thoughts, teasing, whispering: Just a little… just a moment…

  Every glowing pnt, every gentle shadow, every whisper of the wind across the leaves felt like a siren calling her forth.

  Ethan gritted his teeth. Stay Ethan. Just stay Ethan.

  He tried counting steps. Tried focusing on Alex’s voice. Tried everything.

  And still, the pull persisted — soft at first, then stronger, closer, insistent.

  He could feel Eri wanting to move, wanting to breathe in this pce, wanting to be.

  His fingers brushed the neckce again. Metal cool against skin, grounding him… for now.

  But the warning was clear: one small slip, one distracted heartbeat, and she would break free.

  The glow of the gardens was mesmerizing, almost hypnotic. Every step Ethan took felt like moving through a dream — one that wasn’t entirely his own.

  He forced himself to follow Alex and the group, but each flicker of light against the petals, each soft rustle of leaves, made his chest ache with something he couldn’t name.

  Eri…

  The whisper in his mind was louder now, more urgent, more her. His fingers twitched involuntarily, brushing the neckce under his shirt. The cold metal was supposed to anchor him, to remind him that he was Ethan — but tonight, it was barely enough.

  He stumbled slightly on the path, and his hand rose before he even realized it, fingers curling around the pendant.

  No…

  But the pull of the gardens, the moonlight, the quiet magic surrounding him, pressed in too strongly. His other hand followed, brushing at the chain, lifting it away from his neck almost subconsciously.

  Panic shot through him. He froze mid-step, eyes wide. Don’t. Not here. Not now. Stay Ethan.

  Alex gnced over, frowning. “You okay? You’re kinda pale, man.”

  Ethan swallowed, forcing a nod. “Yeah… I’m fine.”

  But inside, Eri was stirring, stretching, brushing against the edges of his mind like soft, silvery tails. Every fiber of him wanted to give in, to breathe as her, to move as her, to exist as the being he had longed to be for so long.

  His hand trembled as he clutched the neckce tighter, feeling the gem press into his chest. The sensation was grounding — barely. But Eri didn’t back down. She twisted against the edges of his consciousness, brushing his thoughts with warmth and freedom and temptation.

  Ethan’s legs shook. He could feel sweat prickling along his hairline. One more second, one more gnce at the glowing pnts, and he might not be able to stop himself.

  Eri… just a little…

  He swallowed hard, head spinning. He had to fight. He had to stay Ethan.

  But even as he told himself that, his fingers lingered on the csp. His breath came faster. Every glowing petal, every flickering shadow, every quiet sigh of wind through the trees made it harder to resist.

  The neckce felt heavier than ever. And in the quiet of the botanical gardens, under the pale moonlight, Ethan realized — he was on the edge.

  One more second. One careless thought. And she might finally break free.