Touch.

Cerina stared at the new shape before her: two smooth spheres fused at their bases, with a third perched atop them in a slender, almost tubular form. It was unnatural in its elegance, like something crafted with intent but without a single tool.

Her fingers hovered over it, trembling. The faint hum emanating from the object seemed to pull at her chest, urging her closer. Against the sharp warning in the back of her mind, she reached out.

The moment her fingertips brushed the surface, a pulse rippled through her hand and into her arm. It wasn’t painful, but it was jarring—a wave of energy that churned and spiraled, as though her blood itself was being stirred.

Her breath caught, and her other hand gripped the edge of the table for balance. The pulsing continued, rhythmic and deep, like the beating of a second heart. It radiated outward, reaching her chest, her stomach, her legs, and settling in her core like a strange, twisting knot.

Her breathing grew shallow. The churning sensation wasn’t just inside her—it was through her, like her entire body was being gently pulled and swayed by invisible tides.

Cerina tried to pull her hand away, but her fingers refused to obey. The surface of the combined stones grew warmer beneath her touch, the faint hum intensifying into a steady vibration.

“What is this?” she whispered, her voice trembling. Her words seemed to vanish into the air, swallowed by the object’s growing presence.

The pulsing waves grew stronger, synchronized with her rapid heartbeat. Her vision blurred for a moment, and she saw faint, shadowy shapes at the edges of her sight—curved patterns, tall and slender.

A sharp pang bloomed in her chest, and she finally wrenched her hand back with a gasp. The pulsing stopped instantly. The object sat before her, motionless and silent, as if nothing had happened.

But Cerina knew better. Something inside her had shifted, and the churning sensation lingered faintly, as though a piece of her had been touched and stirred by forces she couldn’t begin to understand.