The mountains had grown familiar beneath my feet, their jagged peaks carving a world where survival was law and weakness meant nothing. I had learned to move like the wind, to anticipate every shift in terrain, every shadow in the trees, every shift in the wind. My body had become a weapon, my mind a sharpened blade, and my spirit unbreakable. And yet, even with all that, there were nights when the bond would pulse with a sharp reminder that I was never truly alone.
That night, after another relentless day of drills and combat, I sat by the river, letting the cold water slip over my hands. The moon reflected off the rippling surface, casting silver across the mountains and reminding me that distance and time had not severed the connection to Kael.
I clenched my jaw as memories surged. I
