Tave opened his eyes slowly, the weight of sleep still clinging to his limbs. It was midnight, he could tell from the pale moon, just slightly shifted from its peak in the sky.
But… What is that sound?
A soft hum, gentle as the wind. No, not quite a hum. More like a lullaby carried by moonlight. Not a song in any traditional sense, but a flowing cadence of tones that soothed without needing melody.
Fully awake now, Tave pushed himself upright and turned toward the source.
There, Panpan.
She stood with both arms raised, bathed in moonlight that streamed through a break in the canopy. The silvery glow caught in the waves of her blonde hair, making it shimmer as it moved gently in the breeze. Around her, soft green elemental particles danced, glowing faintly, visible even to the naked eye.
The sound he'd heard wasn't from her lips exactly. It was deeper, older. Like the forest itself was breathing with her, singing through her. A serene chant, almost sacred in its stillness.
