The room fell into a heavy, almost surreal silence after Iva’s words.
I am The Messenger.
They lingered in the air like something sacred.
Like something impossible.
Lori didn’t move.
Didn’t blink.
She just sat there, staring at Iva as if seeing her for the first time all over again, her lips slightly parted, her eyes wide with disbelief and something close to awe.
“…Wow,” she finally breathed out.
It wasn’t loud.
It wasn’t dramatic.
But it carried everything.
Shock.
Wonder.
Disbelief.
Iva let out a small, shaky breath, her shoulders lowering slightly as if releasing a weight now that the truth was out, now that she didn’t have to hide anymore—at least not from Lori.
“There’s more,” she added quietly.
And Lori nodded immediately, still staring at her, still trying to process
