The peace Ayla had found in Black Hollow was beginning to feel real.
And that scared her.
Not because she disliked it.
Because she had lost peace before.
She knew how quickly happiness could be taken away.
Still, life continued.
The days settled into a comfortable routine.
Wake up.
Train with Luca.
Help around the village.
Train some more.
Sleep.
Repeat.
It wasn't exciting.
But it was stable.
And after everything she'd endured, stability felt like a gift.
This particular morning was no different.
The sun had barely risen when Ayla arrived at the clearing.
Luca was already there.
"You're late."
Ayla looked around.
"I got here before you."
"Details."
She rolled her eyes.
"You make less sense every day."
"And yet you keep showing up."
Unfortunately, he had a point.
