Henry and Addie return to the Artifact and continue their ritual of giving it their rubber bands, sacrificing one color at a time as they move through the installation together.

For the purple band, they step through puddles that behave like inch-deep pools. Beneath the water, the ground reflects like mirrors, shimmering with distorted images of everyone and everything, and Addie watches the ripples as if measuring how their presence fades.

For the yellow band, they enter a series of soundproof cubes that either amplify noise or swallow it. The walls instruct them first to WHISPER, and when Addie murmurs “I have a secret,” the words seem to bend and wrap around them in the altered acoustics.

The next room demands they SHOUT. Henry starts timidly, but Addie roars without hesitation; her fearless release gives Henry permission to let go, and he joins her until both of them are screaming themselves raw.

They emerge at sunset, dizzy and light, and stand at the rail looking out over the city under orange spring light. Henry, giddy and happy, pulls Addie close and kisses her neck, feeling alive with her in a way that no longer hurts, even as he silently wishes he could hold the sky up and keep the days from passing.