Interstice: The Curious, The Cautious, The Hollow (7)
THE COMPANION Hades and Eden moved closer to the village as the sounds of life gathered around them—voices overlapping, laughter rising and falling, the dull rhythm of work carried on without pause. Hades walked as he always did, steady and unbothered. Eden followed a step behind, slower now, her attention drawn in every direction at once. The village was uneven, almost careless in its construction. Huts stood wherever space had been claimed rather than planned, their placement dictated by instinct rather than order. Small patches of land surrounded nearly every dwelling, soil turned by hand and patience, dotted with growing vegetables. Goats wandered freely between paths. Cows rested beneath makeshift shades. Sheep dozed where the sun fell warmest, tethered loosely, as if even restraint here was gentle. It was green. Alive. Peaceful in a way Eden had never known. In the Heavens, everything existed by design—perfect spacing, perfect symmetry, light untouched by shadow. Nothing here fol...