The jar's shadow still clung to the water's surface, trembling as if a silent breath moved beneath it. Kael hadn't blinked in what felt like minutes, afraid the moment he did, the shape would change. The sound of his own breathing felt louder in the silence, each inhale like a drumbeat in his chest.
Aila shifted closer, her knee brushing his. "It's still there." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but the weight of it pressed into him like a hand on his shoulder.
"I know." His voice was low, but it carried in the quiet camp. His gaze stayed fixed on the water, as if sheer stubbornness could hold the moment still.
From across the basin, the boy sat with his elbows on his knees, chin propped in his palms, staring not at the water but at Kael. "You feel it now," he said, his tone more like an observation than a question.
Kael's eyes narrowed. "Feel what?"
"The waiting."
