Aiden opened his eyes to the soft light filtering through the temple windows. Elizabeth lay beside him, her dark hair spread across the pillow. She was already awake, propped on one elbow, reading from a thin leather-bound book of doctrine.
"Morning," he said quietly.
She looked over and smiled, the kind of smile that still caught him off guard even after everything they had been through. "You slept through the first bell. That's rare for you."
"Felt like I earned it." He reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her face. His fingers lingered. Prophet's Clarity activated without him meaning to, feeding him small adjustments.
He shaped a faint aura around her shoulders—nothing flashy, just a steady calm that would ease the knot of tension she always carried between her shoulder blades from hours of paperwork and prayers.
Elizabeth let out a slow breath. "That's new. Feels… good. Like the weight lifted a little."
