Morning arrived without ceremony.
No alarms. No disturbances. No sudden pressure spikes in the bond to force her awake. The world simply… continued. Pale light crept across the ridge, softening stone and shadow alike, and for a brief moment everything looked deceptively ordinary.
That unsettled her more than chaos ever had.
She sat near the edge of camp, knees drawn up, watching the settlement below begin its day. Smoke rose in thin lines. Doors opened. Life resumed with the quiet stubbornness of people who had learned that fear could not be allowed to stop everything.
Behind her, the bond stirred faintly.
Not questioning.
Observing.
Silas approached without sound, stopping just close enough that she sensed him before she saw him. He stood with his arms crossed, posture rigid, eyes following the same path hers had traced across the waking village.
"They're already adjusting," he said.
"Yes," she replied. "I can feel it."
Not through the bond this time.
