Chapter 94

Maren

We leave before sunrise.

The forest is still half-asleep, wrapped in mist and the smell of wet earth. Each step along the trail feels like walking through breath — the air thick and damp enough to cling to my skin. The ground hums faintly beneath my boots, the same deep vibration that has followed us since the mountain.

Kaelen walks ahead, steady and silent. His jacket is dark with rain, hi