The clearing was silent, save for the faint rustle of the wind through the trees. Elena’s heart still raced from the ordeal, the memory of the abyss’s cold tendrils and the raw power of the bond still fresh in her mind. Kael’s hand remained firmly in hers, grounding her in the moment.
For a time, neither spoke. The enormity of what they had just endured—what they had just learned—hung between them like an unspoken truth, heavy yet binding.
Finally, Kael broke the silence. “Do you feel it?”
Elena nodded slowly. The bond, once a tenuous thread, now pulsed with steady warmth, as though a hidden part of her had awakened and reached for Kael’s presence. She could sense him—not just physically beside her, but on a level deeper than words could explain. His worry, his resolve, his strength—it
