Jude swallowed hard. He wasn't ready for this. He didn't think he could be ready for this. But ready or not, the choice had already been made.
He turned to face the entity fully. It remained still, waiting for his next move.
He was its guide. Its anchor.
And for better or worse, it was his responsibility now.
The silence stretched between them, heavy and expectant. Jude could still feel the entity's presence lingering at the edges of his mind, a weightless pressure that neither pushed nor retreated. It was waiting. Waiting for him to act, to decide. The realization settled deep in his bones, uncomfortable and irrevocable. He had taken the first step, but what came next? What did guiding something like this even mean? He had no reference for this, no rulebook to follow. Only instinct and the gnawing weight of responsibility.
