Morning light spread thin and pale across the land.
No drama.
No warning.
Kael woke and stayed still for a moment, feeling the ground beneath him.
Steady.
Lira stirred beside him.
"It feels… settled," she said quietly.
Kael felt the same.
The road isn't pushing anymore.
They packed without hurry and moved on.
The path ahead wasn't clear, but it wasn't hidden either.
Grass bent where others had passed before.
Not claimed.
Just used.
Kael chose a direction that felt natural.
Not safest.
Not fastest.
Right.
The others followed, as they always did now.
They walked past an old stone marker half-sunk into the earth.
No symbol remained on it.
Jon glanced at it.
"Someone tried to mark this place once."
Kael didn't stop.
And it didn't last.
The land opened into a wide field dotted with wild flowers.
No fences.
No lines.
Lira slowed, breathing in deeply.
"This is the kind of place people don't fight over," she said.
Kael understood.
Because it doesn't belong to anyone.
They rested briefly near the edge of the field.
Kael sat first.
Lira joined him.
The others settled naturally, spacing themselves without thought.
No one waited for a signal to speak.
No one waited to be told what came next.
The Seer looked at Kael with quiet approval.
"The road no longer asks you to prove yourself," he said.
"That's rare."
Kael felt the truth of it.
Because I'm no longer asking the road for permission.
They stood and moved on as the sun climbed higher.
Behind them, the field remained untouched.
Ahead, the path continued—open, patient.
Not demanding purpose.
Not promising reward.
Just there.
And for the first time, that was enough.