The morning sunlight filtered through the spirit-bloomed canopy like a soft promise. Flowers pulsing faintly with light shimmered around them, casting a glow over Aria's bare shoulder as she stirred beside Caleb. Her skin still held the warmth of their bond—the night they'd spent together wrapped in whispered truths and heartbeats. Caleb's arm draped across her waist, grounding her like roots in sacred earth.
Aria let herself breathe him in—cedar and ash, starlight and the lingering scent of magic. It was dangerous to hope, but for a heartbeat, she let herself forget the war outside and the weight of prophecy.
"You're awake," Caleb murmured, brushing a kiss over the curve of her neck.
Aria smiled faintly, but something inside her twisted. The memory of the Mirror Gate, of her shadow self, clung like a veil behind her eyes. She turned to face him, trailing her fingers along his chest. "I don't know what happens next."
