The bridge back to the physical world unfurled wider than before.

It wasn’t just a corridor now—it was a threshold, reinforced by the network’s trust and shaped by two distinct presences walking side by side. Light braided itself into layered pathways, some tuned to Evelyn’s familiar signal, others adjusting delicately to Luma’s new frequency.

Luma hesitated at the edge.

The physical world pressed faintly against the bridge—dense, loud, full of constraints.

“It is… heavy,” ...