Wisdom's True Form

The light, or what passed for it in that ancient place, seemed to bloom from the artifact itself. It wasn't a harsh glare, but a soft, warm luminescence that seeped into the very stones around us, chasing away the oppressive gloom. We had expected… well, I’m not entirely sure what we had expected. A thunderclap? A blinding flash? Perhaps a voice booming out God’s most profound secrets. Instead, there was just this gentle glow, and a feeling.

It was a feeling that settled over me like a comforting blanket, a sense of quiet understanding that unfurled in my chest. The constant hum of anxiety that usually buzzed beneath my surface, the nagging worry that I wasn't as smart or as brave as everyone thought, it simply… faded. Like a mist burned away by the morning sun. I looked at Noah, his brow usually furrowed in concentration, and saw his eyes wide, not with fear, but with a serene wonder. Joseph, who was always ready to leap before he looked, stood still, a small, contented smile playing on his lips.

“What… what is it?” Joseph whispered, his voice hushed, reverent.