Chapter-65 Wispers From Afar

The apartment was quiet, save for the gentle ticking of a clock on the wall and the occasional creak of the wooden floor beneath Frederique's weight. She sat cross-legged on the living room floor, staring at the smooth, dull stone resting on the coffee table in front of her.

It looked so ordinary. Just a slightly weathered, gray pebble... so plain it would be easy to mistake it for nothing. And yet, the voice that came from it belonged to someone far from ordinary.

" I can't sense anything when you're not holding me, you know."

The voice echoed faintly in her mind, masculine yet oddly calm despite his predicament. The Heavenly Demon, as he called himself.

Frederique ran her fingers through her hair, exhaling sharply.

" Yeah, I know. You've mentioned it... a lot."

" You must understand, it's maddening. To be deaf. Blind. Trapped in endless void for years... and then, to suddenly feel again, only when you touch me... "

" I get it," Frederique snapped, then softened her tone.

" Sorry. I get it. It sucks."

She reached out and placed her hand on the stone again, and immediately, the connection between them sharpened. She could feel his presence more clearly, a faint vibration just beneath the surface of her mind.

" Better. Thank you. I... apologize for my constant complaining. I am simply... unaccustomed to this existence."

Frederique frowned, her thumb brushing over the rock's rough surface. It wasn't his fault. She couldn't imagine what it must feel like... trapped, helpless, unable to move or sense anything unless someone touched you.

Which was why she was determined to change that.

Frideria stirred in the back of her mind, as she often did when Frederique was focusing on their shared power.

" You wish to expand the Art," the Hunger whispered softly in her thoughts.

" To make the voice clearer. To reach without touch. It is possible... but you will need to focus more deeply this time."

Frederique nodded slightly, closing her eyes and drawing a deep breath. She could feel her connection to Frideria... like a faint heartbeat pulsing behind her ribs. They shared this Art. Primal.

The first expression of their Art was Willow Whisper... the ability to hear the voices of objects. But it only worked through touch.

Now, she would try to stretch it.

" Okay, I'm going to try something," she thought, directing the words both to Frideria and the stone.

" Don't freak out if you lose my voice for a second."

" I'll do my best," the Heavenly Demon replied dryly.

Frederique drew her hand away from the stone.

The voice faded.

* Silence. *

But she didn't let the connection break completely.

In her mind, she pictured the link between them... not as a physical touch, but as an invisible thread of energy. A strand of magic, delicate yet strong. She reached for that thread, willing it to extend, to stretch from her body toward the stone without needing direct contact.

For several moments, nothing happened.

Then...

" Can you... hear me?"

His voice echoed, faint but present. The stone sat untouched on the table, yet his words drifted through her mind.

Frederique's eyes snapped open, heart racing.

" Yes! I can hear you!"

" Incredible... how did you do that?"

She grinned, clenching her fists.

" I'm... not sure yet, honestly. But we're getting somewhere."

Frideria's voice slithered through her thoughts again, softer this time.

" We can do more. Stretch it further. Speak, as well as hear."

Frederique closed her eyes again, feeling the thread she had stretched out. It felt like she was holding her breath, maintaining tension between herself and the object. But could she send her voice along it?

" Heavenly Demon," she thought, " can you hear this too?"

" Yes... yes, your voice... I can feel it, clearer than before! It feels... warmer. Stronger. Not just a thought, but almost... alive."

Frederique exhaled, the link trembling slightly before stabilizing. The sensation was surreal, like flexing a muscle she hadn't known existed until now. She opened her eyes, staring at the stone from across the room.

The Heavenly Demon's voice shifted, softer now.

" I must thank you. You have no idea what it means to hear and be heard again. I was prepared for silence forever."

His words struck something deeper than she expected. Frederique rested her arms on her knees, swallowing hard.

" I guess... it just felt wrong, leaving you like that. I don't know what's going on with you... or with me, honestly... but nobody deserves to be trapped in the dark."

There was a long pause before the Heavenly Demon replied.

" You are... kinder than you think, Frederique. Not many would care about a mere stone."

She blinked, surprised at the sincerity in his voice.

" Yeah, well... I was a bullied fat girl until recently. I know what it's like to be ignored."

Silence again.

But this time, it felt... warmer.

Frideria, always the observer, whispered in her thoughts.

" You have strengthened the bond. This... is growth."

The Heavenly Demon cleared his throat... somehow, even without a throat.

" So... does this mean I can finally stop being tossed in a bag when you're busy?"

Frederique laughed despite herself, leaning back with a snort.

" Alright, alright. Let's see if I can stretch it a bit further. Maybe... five meters this time?"

" Five meters? Do I look like a magical artifact?"

" Technically, yeah."

" Fair point."

She focused again, pushing the connection just a little farther. The stone stayed silent for a heartbeat... then...

" Still here. You're quite talented, you know."

Frederique grinned.

" Yeah, well... guess you're stuck with me now."

" It would seem so. And for once, I am... grateful."

And with that, the bond between them settled... stronger, clearer.

The silence was gone.