Elaras POV
For a moment, no one spoke, not because they didn’t want to, but because something about the space made it feel like speaking too soon would break whatever had just settled into place.
I could still feel it, not outside of me or something I was reaching toward, but inside, steady and quiet, present in a way that didn’t demand attention yet didn’t disappear either, like a second rhythm beneath my own that didn’t replace or overpower it, just… existed.
Kael didn’t let go of my hand right away. His grip remained firm and grounding, as if he was making sure I wasn’t about to disappear again, and I didn’t pull away, letting that contact anchor me while everything else rearranged itself inside my chest.
“What happened?” Aria asked finally.
Her voice was low and careful, not pushi
