Chapter 122
The forest surrounding Kael's territory had always carried a quiet weight, the kind that made even the wind feel restrained as it moved through the trees. The trunks rose thick and close together, their roots breaking through the earth in places as if the land itself refused to shift for anything. Crossing into it always came with a subtle pressure, something that settled into the chest without asking permission.
At the center, the clearing stretched wide beneath the canopy, its ground marked by years of training and controlled movement rather than chaos.
The buildings stood solid and deliberate, dark wood reinforced with stone, everything placed where it needed to be and nothing more. Kael's residence rose slightly above the rest, positioned so nothing below could go unnoticed.
