The first light of dawn filtered through the canopy above, dappling the forest floor with patterns of gold and shadow. Tris gradually surfaced from the depths of sleep, his consciousness returning in stages—first awareness of birdsong, then the earthy scent of damp soil, followed by the gentle warmth pressed against his side.

  His eyes opened to find himself curled protectively around Eli's small form, one arm draped over her waist, their bodies fitting together with natural precision. Sometime during the night, they had shifted from their initial position, with Tris unconsciously seeking closer connection in his sleep. Veldt's shadow-blanket still enveloped them both, providing surprising warmth against the morning chill.

  A flush of embarrassment warmed Tris's cheeks as he carefully extricated himself, trying not to wake Eli. The movement roused her anyway, her blue eyes opening with immediate clarity, no trace of sleep's confusion in their depths.

  "Sorry," Tris mumbled, running his hand through his disheveled hair. "I didn't mean to, uh..."

  "Don't apologize," Eli replied softly, a gentle smile touching her lips. "It was nice."

  Tris ducked his head, uncertain how to respond. Instead, he examined his shadow-wrapped fingers, surprised to find dramatically reduced pain. Carefully, he flexed his fingers inside Veldt's protective covering.

  "That's weird," he murmured. "They feel... better. A lot better, actually."

  Eli sat up, her attention shifting to his hands. "May I?"

  He nodded, extending his hands toward her. With delicate precision, she examined the shadow wrappings, then looked toward Veldt, who hovered nearby in its childlike form.

  "Veldt, can we see?" she asked.

  The shadow entity's blank face developed its simple expression—circular eyes and curved mouth appearing briefly before fading. Then, with evident care, it began retracting the tendrils from Tris's fingers, one by one.

  What they revealed astonished them both. Where last night there had been raw, bleeding flesh, now pink, healing skin had formed. The fingernails that had been torn away were regenerating, and the deep abrasions had sealed completely.

  "That's... impossible," Tris breathed, staring at his partially healed hands. "It should take weeks for this kind of recovery."

  "Veldt has been healing you," Eli said with quiet wonder. "Its essence must contain regenerative properties."

  Veldt bobbed in what might have been affirmation, the simple smile reappearing on its featureless face.

  "Thank you," Tris said to the shadow entity, genuine gratitude in his voice. "Seriously. That's... that's incredible."

  They shared a modest breakfast from their limited supplies—energy bars and water consumed in measured portions to make them last. Tris's strengthened fingers allowed him to manage without assistance, though certain movements still caused him to wince.

  "We should move," Eli suggested once they had eaten. "Get some distance between us and Smiths Falls before Kennedy's people expand their search perimeter."

  Tris nodded, gathering their meager belongings. "Which direction?"

  "Southeast for now," she replied. "Until we find somewhere more secure to plan our next steps."

  The forest remained their ally, providing concealment as they moved through the early morning light. Veldt flowed between them, sometimes stretching ahead to scout, other times compressing to a reasonable approximation of Tris's shadow. They walked in comfortable silence, each processing the events of the previous night in their own way.

  After covering about ten kilometers, they found a small clearing beside a shallow creek. Sunlight warmed the rocks, creating a relatively comfortable spot to rest and strategize.

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  "Let's take a break here," Eli suggested. "There's something important I need to tell you."

  Tris settled onto a sun-warmed rock, grateful for the rest. His body, still recovering from the previous night's ordeal, ached with each step despite Veldt's healing assistance.

  "While you were sleeping last night," Eli began, seating herself across from him, "I connected with our Oversoul family. They've been monitoring the situation—not just ours, but all the Sovereigns worldwide. The neural inhibition device Kennedy used affected my abilities more than I admitted," she confessed. "But I managed to establish connection long enough to gather critical information."

  "Like what?"

  "Like the fact that you prepared for this," Eli said, her blue eyes holding his with intensity. "Across multiple lifetimes, you created contingency plans—resource caches hidden throughout North America and beyond."

  Tris's eyebrows rose in surprise. "I did what now?"

  "Before incarnating into Earth, you anticipated the challenges we might face. You established safe houses, financial resources, supplies—all hidden in locations significant to your past lives."

  "That... actually sounds like something I would do," Tris admitted, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "But how do we find them if I don't remember where they are?"

  Eli smiled, gesturing toward Veldt who hovered nearby. "Your shadow knows. Veldt contains fragments of memory from every incarnation you've experienced. As your connection strengthens, it can guide you."

  Veldt expanded slightly at the mention of its name, its blank face developing those simple circular eyes that somehow conveyed attention despite their basic form.

  "The first cache is likely somewhere in northern New York State," Eli continued. "Near the Adirondack Mountains. You lived there about one hundred sixty years ago. Ideally, we need to reach Ogdensburg first, about fourty kilometers southeast.”

  Tris nodded slowly, processing this information. His gaze drifted to Veldt, who had begun experimenting with its form, stretching and contracting in seemingly random patterns.

  "What else can it do?" he asked suddenly. "Veldt, I mean. We know it can heal, create dimensional pockets, mimic a regular shadow... but there must be more.."

  "Veldt, can you show us?" Eli asked.

  The shadow entity seemed to consider this request, its form stilling momentarily. Then, without warning, it flowed toward Tris, expanding and reshaping itself beneath his feet. Before either of them could react, it had formed into what appeared to be a solid black disc, hovering him several inches above the ground.

  "Is this a... hoverboard?" Tris asked incredulously.

  Eli laughed, delight breaking through her usually composed expression. "Seems like it. It seems Veldt can transform into transportation."

  Tris cautiously tested its solidity. It held his weight easily, remaining perfectly stable beneath him. Though the balance on his end would be tricky to get right immediately.

  "This is incredible," he murmured, shifting his balance experimentally. Though he wasn’t quite satisfied with a round disc. He focused on his connection with Veldt, projecting the image of a liftboard from one of his favorite anime. Veldt responded to his movements and thoughts, tilting slightly as he leaned and forming into the mental imagery he was projecting. "This is awesome… Wait, I think I can actually..."

  With a tentative shift of his weight and a mental push, Tris urged the shadowboard forward. It glided smoothly across the clearing, responding to his thoughts as much as his physical movements. Gaining confidence, he decided to attempt a more complex maneuver—a Cut-Back-Drop-Turn.

  He leaned forward, mentally commanding the shadowboard to accelerate. Veldt responded instantly, surging upward at a steep angle like a dark missile. As he reached the apex of his climb, Tris abruptly cut the mental "gas," that continuous push of will that kept the board moving. For a heart-stopping moment, he hung suspended in the air, weightless, spinning vertically with the shadowboard rotating perfectly in sync under his feet. Just before completing the rotation, when the board was nearly parallel again to the ground, he mentally engaged the gas again.

  The execution was far from perfect—more wobble than grace, his arms pinwheeling slightly to maintain balance, the landing rougher than intended. But the shadowboard compensated for his inexperience, complementing any mistakes and keeping him upright throughout the awkward attempt.

  "Did you see that?" He called to Eli, exhilaration breaking through the layers of stress and worry that had accumulated since their escape from Smiths Falls. “It’s more intuitive than I thought. Wow…”

  "I did," she confirmed, clapping, her smile widening. "It seems Veldt has been watching anime with you as well."

  For the next hour, they experimented with Veldt's transportation capabilities. The shadow entity demonstrated remarkable versatility—forming not just the shadowboard, but various other vehicles as well. A motorcycle-like configuration that moved with silent efficiency. A horse-shaped form that galloped with impossible grace, roller blades, bikes, jet packs, you name it. Even splitting into pairs of these things so Eli and Tris could travel side by side.

  "This solves our transportation problem," Tris observed as they glided effortlessly through the forest on their shadowboards. "At least when no one's around to see."

  "And it's providing something equally important," Eli noted, watching as Tris executed increasingly confident maneuvers ahead of her. "Joy. Connection. Integration."

  She was right. With each moment spent riding Veldt, Tris felt something shifting within him—a deepening bond with the shadow entity that transcended their previous cautious alliance. This wasn't just transportation; it was communion, a physical manifestation of the integration process Eli had described.