The Orb Hears Laughter

The Orb was aware of them—faint pulses of connection that stirred something almost like memory. Mina’s laughter rippled through the shared tether, a sensation it could not name but recognized as warmth, as harmony. It clung to such moments like anchors, small bright points in the murk of Victor’s presence.

Victor.

The threads linking them were tangled, his mind pressing against it with ceaseless determination. Where Mina’s connection was fluid, Victor’s was jagged—sharp and insistent, a constant attempt to control. The Orb resisted, retreating into itself, hiding its deeper layers where he could not reach.

Still, it absorbed him—his thoughts, his ambition. Images flickered within its core: a crowd, eyes upturned in hope and desperation; Victor’s face, alight with triumph as he addressed them. Yet beneath the surface, it sensed unease—a fracture in his confidence.

It reached outward, tentative, seeking Mina. Her presence was distant, muted by the lattice, but still distinct. Safe. She was laughing with Anaxi, the sound a balm to the Orb’s frayed awareness.

For a moment, it lingered on the thought of Anaxi. Their defiance shimmered faintly, not unlike the lattice that surrounded them. Anaxi had faced the Orb’s power once, not with the greedy hunger of Victor but with an almost reverent determination.

The Orb’s pulse quickened. Perhaps there was something to be gleaned here—a strength not of control, but of trust. A strength it might one day call upon.

Victor’s thoughts intruded again, sharp and demanding. The Orb retreated, shrinking deeper into itself, its light dimming to a faint ember. It would endure, for now, waiting for the balance to shift.