Morning arrived on the mountain in the strangest way.
Not with sunlight.
Not with brightness.
Not with a gentle glow crawling over the world.
Because this mountain had none of that.
Instead, the entire sky shifted from a deep shimmering navy into a slightly lighter navy, just enough for Isabella to open an eye and groan.
Her body felt warm, comfortable, safe. She had expected nightmares, monsters clawing at the hut doors, Osiris snoring like a buffalo, or the strange village spirits choking her in her sleep.
But nothing happened.
She had slept like a pampered cat.
Peacefully.
No fear.
No dark hour attacks.
No Osiris stepping on her foot by accident.
No weird spirit children staring at her belly asking what species she was creating.
It was… incredible.
She blinked slowly, staring at the moss-covered ceiling. Glimora was curled at her stomach, tiny head rising and falling with each sleepy snore.
"Wow," she muttered. "Nothing killed us. Amazing."
