Three weeks after Luna's emotional breakdown, Ash sat alone in his quarters at midnight, staring at his hands and trying not to shake.
The channeling technique was hurting him. Not obviously. Not in ways healers could detect. But Ash felt it. A deep exhaustion that sleep didn't fix. A hollowness in his chest that grew larger each time he extended Luna's manifestation. His life force was depleting faster than it could regenerate.
He hadn't told Luna. How could he? She was finally experiencing real emotions again, remembering her mother's voice, connecting with her own humanity. Telling her the manifestations were damaging him would force her to choose between her own healing and his safety. That wasn't fair.
A knock at the door interrupted his brooding. Ash opened it to find Meridian sta
