For the first time in days, the room was quiet. No hum of mana in the walls, no thunder rolling through the hull—just silence.
A faint warmth brushed across Noel's face. He stirred, his eyes blinking open against the thin beam of light spilling through the curtains. Sunlight. Real sunlight.
He pushed himself up slowly, leaning on one elbow. The storm had passed, and the ship had finally left the endless tunnel. Outside, beyond the glass, the world stretched open: a clear sky painted in soft gold and blue, mountains rising in the distance, water glittering in the morning light.
Noel exhaled, a sound caught somewhere between relief and disbelief. 'Finally. We're out.'
The bed shifted beside him. Charlotte was still curled against the sheets, her pink hair mussed and falling messily across her face. In the dim light, strands stuck up in every direction, a rare imperfection on someone who always seemed untouchable to others.
