The world didn’t end that night. It just… changed its breathing.
The trees bent slower. The air came thick, like smoke that didn’t know where to go. The ground pulsed beneath me, faint but steady, and I realized it wasn’t the world trembling. It was me.
Kalen hadn’t moved since the light died. He was kneeling still, his body swaying in small, uneven motions, like he was listening to something I couldn’t hear. His hand was buried in the dirt, fingers twitching every few seconds, as if the earth were whispering back.
Thorn stood a few paces away, silent, watching the horizon. The wind caught his hair and flickered the light from his skin like a flame about to vanish. For a long while, nobody spoke. Not even the forest dared.
Then Kalen lifted his head. His eyes—gods—there was no color le
