Breaths were let go of when the clock struck midnight. The capital of Purily sighed in relief, as it always did, until the sun rose above the horizon again. But until then, every city light went black and every noise faded to the mere hum of generators deep below in the Undersea District. The hush fogged through the spiraling streets of the sinking city, a silence for the five million that lived here. Every watch in every wrist, an endless put on pause.

And every thought chased after me. Every mind. They all begged to be heard. In a world that often seems so dark and so cold, where the sky is scarcely visible from the towering spire of the city... where so many feel alone... No, it must be terrifying to know I could read your mind. To think that anyone could read your mind. But maybe, just maybe, you'd feel relieved? Because beneath every dirty thought and hateful urge, for all of us, there's only loneliness, right? And because I can see that, hear it and touch it and cry with it, you're not so alone anymore. That's what I hope.