None of them answered right away. Yuna reached for Jibril's hand first, and Azelis's fingers found Yuna's a moment later. The three of them formed a small, unspoken line before anyone said a word out loud.
"Explain what actually happens," Azelis said. "All of it. Not the polished version."
"A seed," John said. "Planted in your soul, not forced into it. It grows at whatever pace your own soul can handle. Slow at first. You won't wake up different tomorrow. But it changes you permanently, the same way mine changed me."
"Does it hurt?" Jibril asked quietly.
"The planting doesn't. The growing might, sometimes. I can't promise otherwise."
"I'm in," Yuna said immediately, no hesitation at all.
"So am I," Jibril said, steadier than she probably felt.
Azelis held his gaze a moment longer than either of the others had, searching for something she seemed to find. Then she nodded once, firm and certain.
"Do it," she said.
...
