The pale grey of dawn crept timidly across the cave's mouth, filtering through the stone as though the world outside hesitated to disturb the silence within. Luke stirred first, groaning as he shifted against the cold floor, his back sore from the hard ground. A sluggish hand rubbed at his eyes before he blinked awake, realising with a start that the day had come—the last day.
Beside him, Ilyrana's own movements echoed his. She stretched with the grace of a bowstring pulled taut, her hair spilling loose as her eyes adjusted to the dim glow. Their gazes met briefly, and in that moment, no words were needed. They both understood. This was the day that would decide whether they made it back to the border, or whether hunger and exhaustion would claim them before they ever saw Virencia's walls again.
