The storm ended the same way it had begun—without warning.
One heartbeat, the tunnels shook with a roar that bent the air until every breath was borrowed. The next, there was nothing but silence.
It was no tapering off.
No slow easing into quiet.
One second it was there, and the next… it was gone, as if some giant hand had snapped its fingers and decided the night was over.
The pressure lifted instantly.
The weight that had been pressing into their chests vanished. Ears that had ached for hours popped back into place, some men wincing and rubbing their jaws until they balanced.
The lantern flames steadied, no longer bending sideways from vibrations they couldn't see. Dust, still drifting from the ceiling, fell into the silence like slow, deliberate snow.
For a moment, no one moved.
It was almost louder than the storm had been.
Sera's eyes flicked upward, bright with interest.
