The refugees crossed beneath the Last City wall, and the shared welcome faded only after the final family reached the first street beyond the gate.
For one breath every citizen remained still, their faces turned toward the expedition while the same expression rested across the entire square.
Then a girl dropped a basket, an old man rubbed his throat, and a woman beside the fountain began to cry without knowing why.
Hajin kept his Rings closed beneath his sleeve, and Vella sealed the gap at his back with her shoulder.
She stood pressed against him while the braided voices faded, reading the layers together from one vantage point. "Two voices passed through them, one woven by consent, one that never asked."
Juna watched the whole crowd separate into its small movements. "The greeting has ended, though the city has not released the shape it gave everyone."
