"I thought we had finally earned our peace," I muttered, my voice barely a whisper as I watched the distant horizon. The sun, dipping low in the sky, painted the clouds with streaks of orange and purple. It felt like a new beginning, a fresh start.
But the air was thick with something else—unease, uncertainty. A chill that had nothing to do with the coming night.
"Peace?" Kael's voice broke through my thoughts. His footsteps were steady and purposeful, and I could hear the familiar rustle of his armor as he drew closer. "Eira, we both know peace is never permanent."
I turned to face him, meeting his dark eyes. The weight of his gaze still held the same intensity it had years ago, but now there was a gentler edge to it. A sliver of the man I once knew, and maybe even the man I had once h
