There is only so long her internal struggle can persist. Tension builds until she seems fit to burst, edging up against the precipice, and then—

Nothing.

Like a switch being flipped.

The crackle of electricity is suddenly gone, leaving nothing behind but a faint spiderweb of marks on her skin and the scent of ozone in the air. Her body relaxes, as though suddenly freed from a binding spell. Not a single ilm of her gives any sign of emotional turmoil.

"You are in front of me," she says, voice light and unwavering. "And yet you are within me. An inescapable fate."

When Era opens her eyes her gaze is distant in thought. She looks at him and through him. Tilts her head fractionally as if listening for something.

"I am me and you and them. And you are you and only you."