For a while—
They did nothing.
Just sat.
No urgency.
No pressure.
No need to move.
Ronan leaned back, arms behind his head.
"…You know what?"
"…What?" Edrin asked.
"…This might be the first time I'm not waiting for something to attack us."
Lyra smiled faintly.
"…It's peaceful."
Kael added,
"…No external variables detected."
Edrin nodded.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
"…It's ours."
Silence settled comfortably.
Not empty.
Not heavy.
Just—
There.
But slowly—
Edrin's gaze drifted.
Across the open space.
Across the faint edges of what they had created.
And something—
Started creeping in.
"…It's too empty."
Ronan groaned.
"There it is."
"…What?"
"…You overthinking again."
Edrin frowned slightly.
"…No, I'm just saying—"
Lyra spoke gently.
"…You're trying to improve it."
"…Is that bad?"
Kael responded,
"…Not inherently."
A pause.
"…But unnecessary."
Edrin leaned back.
"…Unnecessary doesn't mean wrong."
Ronan smirked.
"Yeah, but it usually means trouble."
Edrin sighed.
"…I just…"
He looked around again.
"…It feels incomplete."
Silence.
Lyra tilted her head.
"…Or you're not used to it being enough."
That made him pause.
"…Maybe."
Kael added,
"…Perception influenced by prior conditions."
Edrin nodded slowly.
"…Yeah."
Because before—
Everything incomplete meant something was missing.
Something needed to be fixed.
Something needed to be added.
But now—
That wasn't true.
And yet—
That instinct was still there.
"…So what do we do?" Ronan asked.
Edrin didn't answer immediately.
Because this—
Was different from before.
This wasn't about choosing something to add.
This was about deciding—
If anything needed to be added at all.
"…We wait," Lyra said softly.
Edrin glanced at her.
"…Wait?"
"…Yes."
A pause.
"…Not because we have to."
"…But to see if we actually want to."
Kael nodded.
"…Delay prevents unnecessary action."
Ronan shrugged.
"Or we just add something cool."
"…That's exactly the problem."
Edrin let out a quiet breath.
"…Yeah."
Because adding something—
Just to fill space—
Was the same as before.
Reacting.
Forcing.
Replacing silence with noise.
He leaned back again.
Closing his eyes briefly.
"…Alright."
A pause.
"…We don't add anything yet."
Ronan smirked.
"Look at you showing restraint."
"…Don't get used to it."
Lyra smiled softly.
"…Good choice."
Kael confirmed,
"…Stability maintained."
The space remained the same.
Open.
Simple.
Unforced.
And slowly—
That feeling of "incomplete" began to fade.
Not because something changed.
But because—
Edrin stopped trying to change it.
"…Huh," he muttered.
Ronan glanced at him.
"What now?"
"…It's fine."
A pause.
"…It's actually fine."
Lyra nodded.
"…Because you let it be."
Kael added,
"…Acceptance reduces artificial need."
Edrin exhaled slowly.
"…Yeah."
Because this—
Was something he hadn't learned before.
Not every empty space needed to be filled.
Not every silence needed to be broken.
Not every moment needed to be improved.
Sometimes—
It was already enough.
"…Alright," he said quietly.
A small smile forming.
"…Now we can decide."
Ronan grinned.
"Finally."
"…Not because we need to."
Lyra finished softly,
"…But because we want to."
Edrin nodded.
"…Exactly."
He looked around again.
This time—
Not searching for flaws.
Not trying to fix anything.
Just—
Looking.
And whatever they added next—
Wouldn't come from discomfort.
Or habit.
Or pressure.
It would come from—
Choice.
And that—
Made all the difference.