The ocean of pain did not vanish. It still roared inside Luna, a tsunami of stolen lives and shattered joy. But the moment the seventeen points of light ignited in her mind, the crushing, solitary weight of it shifted. It was no longer a mountain on her back alone. It was as if seventeen other pairs of shoulders had slid underneath it, heaving with her.
A gasp, sharp and real, tore from her lips. It was a gasp of relief so profound it hurt almost as much as the despair.
The pressure in her skull eased from a blinding, splintering agony to a "merely" brutal, throbbing ache. The chaotic smear of memories began to separate again. She could feel distinct streams of emotion now, each flowing not just into her, but through her, connecting to the other consciousnesses in her mind.
"We have you," the chorus of voices whispered, their tone a blend of determination, strain, and a deep, resonant sadness. "Show us the way."
