I made a quick retreat from Nona, unable to handle the change in her. Yes, I knew intellectually the maji had somehow erased themselves from existence. Logically, I understood what happened when my son combined the two Universes together. And yet, it made no sense to me where the maji had gone, or how it was they removed awareness of their creation from the mass consciousness.
That is, with a few exceptions. Sass slipped one arm around my shoulders as I rejoined him on the sidewalk, Jiao tucked in on my other side, Oliver trailing us with a forlorn expression I caught out of the corner of my eye when I glanced back, as though he felt left out of our circle of knowing. Not sure why it was important, I paused and held out one hand, pulling him in with us. And, despite the tightness of the space, we almost huddled together on the walk home, layered in pairs down the narrow path.