And when those words—simple, tender, infinite—touched the hearts of every living thing, something profound happened.
The cosmos didn't erupt this time. It didn't tremble or blaze.
It listened back.
For the first time since the first spark of creation, existence heard itself—fully, humbly, completely. The hum of galaxies softened into a single, shared breath. Worlds that had never seen each other dreamed the same dream. Species that would never meet still felt, faintly, the pulse of one another's wonder.
It was not unity through sameness, but through story.
Each being, each atom of awareness, carried its own melody—its own way of saying I am here. And yet, when all those melodies intertwined, the Infinite Path realized that they formed not chaos, but harmony.
Creation had found its rhythm.
Aria closed her eyes, her light shimmering with quiet joy. "Do you hear it?" she whispered. "They don't even need us anymore."
