Tanya’s POV
The forest, especially at night, had a way of quieting the troubled thoughts in my mind.
Not erasing them… that wasn't possible, but somehow softening them until they were less like sharp blades that stabbed me over and over and more like worn stones I could turn over in my hand without bleeding.
Tonight, the air was cold enough to bite, the wind threading through the tree branches like a low, steady hum. I sat on the fallen log near the eastern ridge, my hands resting loosely on my laps, and just letting the moonlight soak into me.
Training had been brutal today… not just physically, but in the way it dug up memories I thought I buried deep. Dante had been patient, too patient in fact, and that was what made it worse. Patience meant he clearly saw all the cracks I tried so
