Chapter 199 - Forging Bonds, Sharpening Blades

Jin stepped out into the cool morning air, the faint bite of it brushing against his skin like a whisper of clarity. The city stretched out before him, its jagged skyline softened by the early light of dawn, the sun just beginning to spill golden rays across the horizon. The usual hum of chaos—distant explosions, the clamor of survival—was absent, replaced by an almost eerie stillness. For a fleeting moment, it felt like the world was holding its breath, giving Jin a rare pocket of peace amidst the storm of the last few days. He leaned against the rough concrete wall of the station, feeling the solid weight of it grounding him, and let out a slow exhale. His body still ached from the battles, the negotiations, the weight of the Crown's existence pressing down on him like an invisible hand. But here, in this quiet, he could almost pretend none of it existed.