Page 289 of Axis of Fire

But the woman I had loved just as deeply.

Her house had always been filled with yarn—

Scattered skeins,

Loose strands,

Half-finished projects resting in every corner.

The moment I stepped off the staircase and onto the rooftop, music began to play.

Soft.

Fragile.

Yet strangely restless.

The rhythm quickened—

Only to slow again without warning.

The melody wept.

Fluttered.

Chirped.

Airis quietly watched my reaction.

The setting sun shone behind him, catching me off guard.

“Is it already evening?” I frowned, stepping toward the railing as I watched the sun sink between two distant mountains.

“There’s a dome over this place that alters reality,” Airis explained, walking toward me.

With every step he took, the installation responded.

Musically.

Did it react to me the same way?

“What is this installation about?”

“Obsession,” Airis answered.

He didn’t hurry to continue.

And I didn’t hurry to ask.

“The ropes represent attachment.

The thin threads symbolize the woman he loved.”

For a moment, my breathing caught.

“The sounds woven into the music are fragments of her laughter, her tears...

Everything she left behind.”