Morning broke not with light, but with color. The red poppies had bloomed overnight. They shouldn't have. Seeds usually took weeks. But the Node's influence was strong here, at the edge of the continent where the land met the sea. The Earth was eager. It wanted to show him what was possible.
Ezra sat up. His back didn't ache. The dampness of the night had settled into the grass, not his bones. He looked at the flowers. They were vibrant. Crimson against the white chalk. They nodded in the breeze, bowing to the ocean.
They grew fast, Ezra thought.
They wanted to welcome you, the wind said. It smelled of salt and nectar.
He stood up. His legs felt stiff, but it was a good stiffness. The stiffness of work done. He looked east. The path behind him was overgrown. The grass had already fille
