The wind in the mountain pass didn't bite the same way it once had.
Kazuki stood at the edge of the cliff, boots braced on the pale stone, cloak flaring behind him like a banner. Below lay the winding trail they'd carved—across scorching dunes, through sky-citadel tempests, across rivers turned to mist by forgotten spells. Now, the silhouette of Umbra stood far in the distance, dark and unmoving.
"Looks less intimidating from this side," Ryo muttered, squinting at the distant towers. "Or maybe I'm just too tired to be scared."
"More likely your sweat dried and you finally remembered how to blink," Kaelis said, tossing him a flask. "You've been squinting since we left the marshes."
