Morning came quietly.
For once, Rin was grateful for it.
There had been too many nights filled with strange voices, divine threats, impossible revelations, and dreams he couldn't explain. He had almost forgotten what an ordinary morning was supposed to feel like.
Almost.
Rin stood on the northern balcony of the fortress, looking toward the mountains.
They were enormous.
Dark peaks disappeared into a sea of clouds, their slopes covered in snow. Somewhere beyond them was the Moon Forest.
And somewhere beyond the Moon Forest... His mother.
Rin still couldn't quite believe it. For years, she had existed only as fragments.
A face he barely remembered. A voice from dreams. A warmth that sometimes appeared in his memories without explanation.
Now he knew she was alive. At least...
She had been alive when Eryon last saw her. That thought was enough to make his stomach twist.
"You're going to stare at the mountains until they move?"
Rin didn't turn around.
"No."
A pause.
