---
"I have scouted the edge of the valley," she said. "No threats within two kilometers. But something feels off in the wind."
Kai stood and followed her gaze. The treeline below danced in the slow breeze. The river sparkled. All looked peaceful. But he felt it too.
"Something watching?" he asked.
"Not yet. But something remembering," Akayoroi murmured. She reached out and gently fixed a loose strand of his hair.
Kai blinked. "That was... unexpectedly tender."
"You are mine," she said plainly. "If you fall apart, I will have to kill everyone else myself."
"Romantic," he said flatly.
She smiled. "You attract that kind of loyalty."
He coughed and looked back at the others. The wind had shifted again. Lirien was now sitting apart, fiddling with something metallic in her lap.
He walked over, crouched beside her, and peeked at the device.
"Is that for me?" he asked.
