By the thirteenth hour of her battle (1 PM the next day), Abbi Secraa—Nelono—had done the impossible. She had reduced her burden from 1,313 daily sorrows to 113. The rest had been released, returned, or transformed.

Lina made her a sign. It read: She carries what you cannot. But she does not carry it forever. And on the back, in smaller letters: Abbi Secraa, age 13, huge burden, huge heart.

At 6:13 PM, a little boy lost his balloon. That was the 1,313th.

“I’ll hold enough,” Abbi said. “Not all. Just enough.”

“No one has ever sorted before,” it said. “They usually just break.”

Her school grades plummeted. Her hair turned white at the roots. Lina found her behind the gymnasium, curled into a ball, whispering numbers: “Thirteen years of grief per person. Thirteen thousand people in Vorrow. Do the math, Lina. Do the math.”