The door clicked shut behind Boren, and the room settled into a quiet that felt softer than before.
Faint sounds from the lower floors drifted upward, boots against wood, distant laughter, and the low murmur of Adventurers debating rewards but here on the third floor, they seemed far away, almost dreamlike.
Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, warm and steady, casting a gentle glow over the bed where Sage lay propped against the pillows. The light had moved across the floor, a silent hourglass marking how long they had been here, together.
Mina had shifted slightly after Boren left; no longer clinging to him in panic, she remained close, her small body curled toward him, golden hair spilling across the sheets like scattered sunlight.
Sage looked at her and smiled not his usual teasing smirk around others but something gentler and more sincere. He lifted his hand and brushed his fingers through her hair again, careful and unhurried.
