"I told you a little bit about it when we all in the room theh," Roxy began softly, her small fingers idly tracing the thick, raised edge of a faded battle scar near his collarbone. "Earth is… completely different. There is absolutely no magic. No shifters, no beasts, no glowing stones or systemic interfaces. Just billions of fragile humans living in towering structures made of concrete and glass, driving cars across paved roads."
Zarek listened with focus. Even if he had thousands of questions. His hand continued to stroke her dark curls, offering a silent, grounding anchor.
"It was a loud, crowded world, but it was incredibly easy to disappear in it," Roxy murmured, her green eyes staring distantly at the blue crystals. "When my parents died, they left me a very large inheritance. Enough that I didn't actually need to struggle, but the grief made me restless. I needed to move. I needed to figure out who I was without them. So, I worked."
