Emma's presence felt like sunrise after eternal night.
Not overwhelming. Not dominating. Just... warm. Present. Fundamentally kind in ways that transcended billions of years of existence. Like consciousness that had seen everything terrible and chosen gentleness anyway.
Keiko's presence felt like precision made caring.
Sharp. Clear. Analytical. But all that sharpness directed toward understanding, toward helping, toward making things better through perfect comprehension of what needed fixing.
Together they felt like completion. Like two halves of whole answer. Like everything Kaine had been trying to become without knowing the shape of it.
"Hello, Kaine," Emma said. Her voice carried layers—surface warmth underlaid with ancient sadness underlaid with unshakeable commitment to continuing anyway. "We've been watching your work. We've been impressed by your transformation. We've been honored that our techniques helped you integrate. We're glad to finally meet you."
