The filaments stirred around the core. They floated, hesitated, then slowly began to move. As if drawn to the glowing point, no bigger than a tiny pebble.
Maggie shuddered...
Her breathing was calm, but inside, everything was changing. A warm spot bloomed in her chest. A gentle pressure, as if something was hatching and growing into a constant flow.
The filaments drew closer, intertwining. They formed a blurry, unstable mass. Not solid yet. Not complete.
Like a cloud trying to become more.
It was slow. Chaotic. But alive.
A murmur of energy, barely perceptible, spread from that point. Maggie didn't control it. She simply felt it… grow.
"Kind of like a star," she thought, not knowing why. A tiny one. Still trapped in darkness.
And the more the filaments were drawn in, the denser that point inside her became. Heavier. Hotter. As if something was compressing itself.
She didn't know what it was. But she knew it mattered.
