And just like that, a sudden flicker of light shimmered in the air between them. Just for a second.
But Kaya felt it—something. A strange dizziness washed over her. Her mind echoed with a voice, distant and gentle, repeating the same words in a different place, in a different time. A voice she knew, even if she couldn't place it.
As the glow faded, Kaya stood frozen, confused.
What just happened?
She didn't know.
But now, more than ever… she wanted that medicine.
She wanted it badly.
All expression drained from her face. The warmth, the curiosity—gone.
She turned back to the stubborn onion still stuck in the dirt and said, flatly, "Go away."
Then she crouched back down, her fingers digging into the soil again as if nothing had happened.
But what Kaya didn't see—
Was Vayu still standing there, silently watching her.
A slow smile spread across his lips.
And then… his body began to melt into black smoke.
It drifted downward, soft as shadow—
