a tiny spark of the old dread, like a phantom limb ache, still tries to flare, but then my vision just... widens. it’s less a reaction now and more like watching a small, distant light dim before it can even register as heat, just fades before it can take hold. the energy i used to pour into containing that, into bracing for impact, it’s just… available now, a hum i can feel behind my ears. even with 47 unread texts and a tech startup’s worth of data waiting, that hum is steady, almost like a song.